Last Hope
by Keldae
Summary: She's the last chance any of them have, and that truth resonates even stronger with him. He failed her once before, and he's sworn to never make such a mistake again. Without her, what hope do any of them have? Update: Tempers flare, and Darth Imperius plays peacemaker. (Spoilers for SWTOR: Knights of the Fallen Empire.)
1. Chapter 1

**It's been some time, hasn't it? Amazing what the new SW: The Old Republic expansion does to a muse. Theron Shan is now my new muse and lust-object-in-chief. I can't guarantee that _Strangers from Distant Lands_ is ever going to be posted again, but for now, have a spoiler-loaded story thing from SWTOR: Knights of the Fallen Empire.**

 **If I owned any part of the Star Wars franchise, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**

* * *

SIS agents are not, as a rule, known for being terribly anxious individuals. Paranoid to a fault, perhaps, but certainly not anxious and prone to fits of pacing around the interiors of their small personal shuttles. The flight from his previous (and highly classified) location to Odessen involved far too many hours in hyperspace for his liking. Confined inside the blue tunnel of space, without easy access to the HoloNet to distract him, he was trapped alone with his thoughts, and even Jedi meditation wasn't enough to calm him today.

It wasn't even that he was flying to work for a new rebellious alliance, dedicated to ending the tyranny of the Zakuul Empire and their Eternal Fleet. Nor was it his continued worry over his absent parents- his father was still stuck on Coruscant, trying to subtly hamper Zakuul's conquest, while his mother had gone into exile, one of a few scattered survivors of the Jedi Order. No... his worry stemmed from _her_.

It had been over five years since the destruction of Ziost. Five years since Darth Marr had launched an allied force of Republic and Imperial troops into the depths of Wild Space, and invited _her_ to come along. Five years since Zakuul invaded in full force, with their news that the ones who had invaded their own Empire had been executed.

And it had been four years since Theron Shan had started to feel hope again.

* * *

He'd been unceremoniously dragged back out of administrative leave within twenty-four hours of the Eternal Fleet descending upon the Core Worlds with a vengeance. Apparently, this was enough to forgive and forget his mistakes on Ziost, as far as his respective parents had been concerned, although Chancellor Saresh had never let him live it down. Theron had just learned very quickly to stay out of the manipulative woman's way and focus on his work. Spying on the Empire had always presented its own share of challenges, even after he'd met Lana Beniko on Manaan during the Revanite crisis... but Zakuul was something else entirely. Theron still wasn't sure how he'd survived a few particular run-ins with their agents, and could only count himself lucky that he hadn't ever been on the same planet as Vaylin. The Zakuulian High Justice, sister to Emperor Arcann, wasn't known for mercy.

He'd been the one to pick up on the Zakuul battle cries of "Justice for Valkorion! Vengeance for our fallen Emperor!" The SIS had done further investigating, and realized the death of the former Emperor of Zakuul (none other than Vitiate of Dromund Kaas himself!) was being blamed on two people from the Core Worlds. Darth Marr, the apparent last person to be murdered at Vitiate/Valkorion's hands, received a footnote mention from most of Zakuul's forces, something that Theron suspected would have irked the Sith Lord had he still been alive to witness this.

But the one most publicly blamed for the assassination was _her_. The Jedi Battlemaster who, when offered a chance at mercy for her joint and unwarranted invasion of Zakuul territory, had stabbed the Emperor in the back. She unfortunately had made that mistake while surrounded by enemies.

Theron had been inside the Heorem Complex, picking up an assignment briefing, when the news had come in of her execution at Zakuul's hands (apparently Arcann had done the deed himself, if the rumours were to be believed). SIS agents were generally prided on having perfect emotional control and being able to perform their tasks without compromising their vulnerabilities or their missions, and Theron was normally quite good at that. But that was a blow he hadn't been ready to receive, and it blindsided him like a droid-powered punch to the gut. He'd sat heavily in the nearest chair, the voices around him fading to dull underwater-sounding noises as his heart caved in within his chest. She was gone... the only woman he had ever felt something like real, true love for. And he'd never even told her, so great a coward and insecure in a relationship was he... and now she was gone, and so was his hope that somehow, Zakuul could be defeated despite all the odds. If she wasn't here to brave a stunt that nobody else could accomplish, what hope did the galaxy have now?

Jace Malcolm had been the first one to get to him; apparently he'd had to visit the Director to discuss a new strategy for SIS agents against Zakuul and the newly-forming Star Fortresses. He'd tried to gently get Theron to go home and grieve for the woman he'd loved and lost, but Theron had no desire to be alone with his thoughts. He'd decided to throw himself headfirst into his work, and swore to himself that he would see justice done for her murder or die trying. Jace had just sadly smiled, murmured "You come by that honestly," and set himself to help his estranged son as best he could.

But not even Theron's dedication to see Zakuul burn for what they'd done could save the Republic, or the Empire. Within a year, Coruscant was suffocating under a blockade of the Eternal Fleet's ships, and the agent was working himself into an early grave. Observant though he was, he didn't see the worry in his father's eyes, or the new lines of grief on Satele's face and the liberal amounts of grey in her hair whenever either of his parents looked at him (and if he did, he counted that up to the near-total destruction of the Republic forces and the Jedi Order). When a contingent of Senators negotiated a treaty with Zakuul to save what was left of the Republic, Theron had stormed out of SIS headquarters, too furious for words even though rationally he knew it was the only option left for the survival of innocent trillions of lives. Satele had eventually tracked him down in the Dealer's Den cantina in the Old Galactic Market (and Theron knew better than to ask how his mother had found him down here, even though it wasn't a regular haunt of his outside of work hours), and quietly plucked the umpteenth bottle of Corellian ale out of her son's hand before leading him out and back to his small apartment, with a strength that belied her sixty years of life. Theron had passed out fairly quickly, but not before hearing Satele tell him "I don't know if or when I'll see you again. The Jedi have all but fallen, and I must leave to aid as I can. We need to rebuild..."

"She could've done it," Theron mumbled, half into his pillow. "She could do anything."

With his eyes closed, he didn't see the pain that flickered through his mother's eyes, and he was too out of it to hear the soft intake of breath at his words. He felt her brush a hand over his mussed-up hair, and some part of him noted that this was the only motherly touch he could ever recall feeling. "... Goodbye, Theron," she'd quietly said, and then Theron's memory faded to black.

When Theron got back to work the next morning, with a pounding headache and worried looks from his father and the Director, he learned that his mother had gone into exile, and so had the majority of the surviving Jedi. That was just the latest addition to his sorrows, and for the next two months existed in a daze. Mechanically, he reported in to SIS, didn't have it in him to grumble about paperwork, and when he was off for the evening, often found himself frequenting the cantinas. It was unhealthy, and he was aware of his father and his coworkers worriedly eyeing him, but it dulled the pain. His mother and the Jedi gone, the Republic a slave to invaders, and the woman he'd loved dead... some days he almost didn't bother getting out of bed in the morning. His thoughts were 'survival' and 'revenge'- survive long enough get justice for her, and after that, he didn't really care.

Three months after the blockade on Coruscant was lifted (around the same time that Dromund Kaas accepted their own terms of surrender to Zakuul), a blonde-haired woman dropped into the seat beside his at the cantina, the shadows of the hood she wore doing very little to hide the glow of her yellow eyes. Theron didn't even have it in him to question just how Lana Beniko had gotten into the heart of what was left of the Republic without being shot on sight. He barely even wanted to look at her- not because he was still a little bit mad about her arrangement of his abduction on Rishi, and the whole catastrophe of Ziost, but because he'd known her at the same time that he'd first come into contact with _her_ , and that was still a painful wound after a year's festering.

Lana didn't bother with pleasantries. She leaned in closer to her one-time rival and whispered the two words that brought a rush of new hope and worry into Theron's shattered heart.

"She's alive."

* * *

Lana had never been known for providing false or poor information, and this was no different. Theron wasn't sure how exactly the Sith had managed to find out that Xaja Taerich was still alive, encased in carbonite on Zakuul- she'd mentioned something about a traitor to Zakuul being willing to share information with her. Theron did meet Koth Vortena a couple of times in person, never for very long, and decided that even though he was a Zakuul native, he was still all right. Hell, he would have happily kissed the first person to get Xaja out of captivity. He'd wanted to storm Zakuul immediately to break her out, but Lana had wisely vetoed that idea, pointing out that Theron would be no good to anyone dead. She herself was working on a plan to rescue the Jedi, and had Koth and an HK-55 unit with her, but could use all the planning aid Theron could provide.

Theron himself had been the one to find Xaja's old droid, T7-01. The droid had been leery of working beside a Sith Lord, until Theron had explained the plan to rescue its old master, and then the little astromech had thrown itself into Lana's work with a joy that one might not have expected of a droid. Theron had also dived into his work with the renewed will to live and succeed that puzzled the people around him, seeking the remainder of Xaja's crew and her old ship. But even over the next four years, all he found was the ship, left behind on Tython with no sign of the old crew. That would hurt her when she found out, he knew, and the thought of her in distress made him worry. He wrote her a message, hated and deleted it, wrote it a few more times over, and finally sent it to her old account around the three-year mark, hoping she would be alive and awake to read it one day. _Stupid clinging to hope like this,_ some part of his mind muttered, and yet this hope was all that he had left. If anyone could free the galaxy from Zakuul, it was _her_... but more than that, he was determined to make up for not being able to help her before. He wanted her back, safe and whole, more than he was willing to admit to even himself. _I haven't forgotten about you or our time together. I never will._

* * *

 _So long in carbonite,_ he thought at the four-and-a-half year mark of her and Darth Marr's disappearances and reported deaths, as he stormed out of SIS headquarters again- this time for good. Saresh was not an individual he wanted to ever see or deal with again, not when she refused to see the greater threat in Zakuul than in the weakened Sith Empire. His father had stopped him in the way out, older and greyer than he had been before the war started, but his hazel eyes were still sharp when he didn't tell Theron to go back to his work for the Republic, but instead to "go and get the sons of bitches who did this." Theron had answered his father's look with a tight, humourless smile, and then left Coruscant within a few hours, rallying to Lana's coordinates to plan their rebellion. _Will she remember me? Will she remember anything?_ His feelings for her hadn't changed, except perhaps to become stronger and more potent with grief and time. Maybe being in stasis for so long had done something to her heart, though…

But it would do no good to fret. For all he knew, she might not survive Lana's rescue effort. And so he threw himself into the best of the galaxy's resources for an alliance of all peoples against Zakuul, fighting to liberate both one Jedi and many planets. Theron Shan had never considered himself to be religious, but he found himself praying to any higher power out there for what he needed the most. _Let her live. Let her come home._

* * *

Fives years after Xaja's capture, Lana sent the coded transmission from a refugee outpost in Wild Space. _Jailbird has made a break for it. Prison didn't agree with her, but she'll live. Her old friends are trying to keep in touch._ Theron could have danced around his shuttle (although he didn't. Miot was watching, after all.) at the news. She was alive and free, if now a wanted fugitive from Zakuul! He knew better than to ask Lana for details on Xaja's condition over the holonet, and contented himself with the knowledge that she was in good hands. He might not fully trust Lana after Rishi, but they all knew what was at stake this time. Lana wouldn't let the Jedi fall back into enemy hands.

Miot had given him an odd look, but Theron had shaken his head. "We continue with the mission objectives. Lana will bring Master Taerich to the rendezvous point, but we need to get her allies assembled." That was the task he'd been given, half to keep him from worrying and getting in Lana's way, and he was determined to do it to the best of his ability. When he'd worked for the SIS, he'd fought to make sure everything he did was at a hundred and ten percent of what was expected of him, and for most of the assignments he'd had, he'd succeeded admirably (Ziost being the most painful exemption). But when he was working for her, he was determined to have this be absolutely flawless for her. She deserved nothing less. Even if she never recognized that he was the driving force behind the building alliance.

His recruitment processes of significant leaders through the galaxy was bolstered by the news coming out of Zakuul within the next two days: the Outlander, the one blamed for the death of Emperor Valkorion, had escaped the Eternal Fleet in a legendary starship known as the _Gravestone_. There were rumours of a rogue Knight, a traitorous Zakuul naval officer, and a Sith Lord aiding the Outlander (and Lana's transmissions confirmed those), but they weren't the focus as far as most people were concerned. Xaja Taerich was now a rallying point for those eager to be free of Zakuul's grip, Imperial and Republic alike... even the neutral forces of the Hutt Cartel and the Voss Mystics sought to gather under her banner.

For the first time in almost five years, Theron was hearing hope in the voices he eavesdropped on. Someone had stood up to Zakuul and survived. The Eternal Empire wasn't as invulnerable as it pretended it was. The oppressors could be broken.

Xaja probably didn't know it, unless Lana had told her, but she had an army building under her. And at least one member of that army would have thrown himself in harm's way for her without complaint.

* * *

 _We ran into some problems. A 'friend' stabbed her in the back, and then Arcann stabbed her in the stomach. She's still alive, but won't be fighting for a while yet. Arcann's likely hurting from that fight, but we lost HK. One week out from the rallying point._ Theron had never thought that he could feel as much fear clenching around his heart as he did when he got Lana's encrypted message. The spy sat wearily in a hard chair, desperately wanting to get to her side immediately. But he had a job to do, and abandoning it would do nothing to aid her- and if she was still the same woman she'd been five years ago, it would just make her mad that he'd shirked his duty for a personal matter. Especially if she was that personal matter.

He would go to Voss and try to convince the Mystics of his need for their aid to the growing Alliance. But then he'd return to Odessen, and to hell if Lana came up with new tasks for him to do that would take him away from the planet. And if she came to harm again between now and then…

* * *

The planet felt like Tython at a first glance, except with less ancient ruins than the Jedi world. The only structures here were new builds, including a large hangar build into the side of the cliff- the main base of operations for the Alliance. As soon as he stepped out of the shuttle, he was surrounded by the sounds of a military base in full action, and paused for a moment to watch a joint patrol of Republic and Imperial soldiers walking around the compound- and surprisingly, they seemed to be getting along better now than they had on Yavin 4 all that time ago. He could feel far less tension in the air, beyond the normal state-of-alertness that a rebel base operated under at all times. This was a good sign, and something that had to make her life easier-

And then he saw _her_ , walking along the duracrete floor, appearing to be lost in her own thoughts. The thoughtful frown on her face did little to mar her pretty features, and she'd let her long red hair fall down her back instead of tying it up like she had on Rishi and Yavin. She looked to be walking a little bit stiffly, and Theron noted it was probably a lingering result of her last fight with Arcann, which he knew she'd been lucky to survive. Something about the way she walked hinted at deep concerns on her mind- leading a rebel alliance against the Zakuul Empire and being told she'd lost five years of her life would probably age anyone.

Theron still thought she was as beautiful as she had been the first day she'd walked into the meeting with him and Colonel Darok to plan the Korriban invasion.

He wanted to run up, catch her in his arms, and never let her out of his sight again. But he didn't know how she would react to that now (Lana had never mentioned whether she'd asked after him). So he contented himself with creeping up beside her and casually speaking out loud. "Hmmm, I like what you've done with the place."

She jumped and turned to face him, and the smile that appeared on her face erased the furrows on her brow. It was like she'd regained the five years she'd just lost in carbonite. "Theron Shan," she said, with what sounded like the most open delight he'd heard in her voice in… almost ever. Jedi traditionally don't display emotion publicly, and she'd only rarely shed that public mask before.

He smirked. "Hey, wasn't sure if you'd recognize me. I-" And then words failed him as Xaja's arms shot around his torso in a very public hug, her face burying itself into his jacket. Ignoring the whispering he could just hear from the soldiers nearby, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, stroking her hair gently. "It's okay. You're safe now. It's all going to be okay…" And it would be okay, now that she was here. She could conquer the galaxy and win if she was so inclined.

"I didn't know if Lana found you or… or if Zakuul had gotten to you or…" Xaja's words were quiet, and directed more to his chest than his face. "Force, I'm glad you're all right."

"I wasn't the one stuck in carbonite for five years or who got in a fight with Arcann. Lana kept me updated on you, but…" Theron gently pulled Xaja back for a moment to look in her eyes- once a vivid green, now dulled to a greyish tone, but still beautiful and vibrant. He smiled, then remembered he had something for her. "By the way, I have a surprise for you."

Those eyes widened. "You found my crew?!" Of course, the remaining four members of her old team would be a high priority for her.

"Not yet," Theron confessed as he reluctantly extricated himself from her arms, not wanting to see the way her shoulders slumped a little bit in worry, "but I think you'll still like this." He tapped the signal button on his wrist comm-link, and smiled as he watched the old, battered Defender rise out of the trees, swooping past the _Gravestone_. She'd named it the _Serenity_ pretty much as soon as she'd been given it by the Jedi Council, and the few times he'd been aboard it with her, he'd felt the inspiration for the name.

It might not have been what she'd hoped for, but Xaja still smiled in delight as her old ship did its flyby and came down to rest on the landing pad designated for her own personal use. She remained still for a moment after the ship left her range of vision, then turned back around and hugged Theron tightly. "Thank you," she whispered against his shirt. "Thank you, Theron…"

He knew there was a meeting scheduled soon with the other Alliance leaders he'd managed to find, and that everyone was eager to meet the official commander of their rebellion. But right now, he didn't have it in him to let go of the woman he'd mourned and supported and quietly loved for the last five years. Holding her closer to him, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. "For you, it was no problem." _Anything for you._

It didn't matter that they were two leaders of a rebellion that could get thousands of people hurt or killed before they tore down the tyrant of Zakuul, or that they were still getting stares from the soldiers near enough to observe. As far as Theron Shan was concerned, all was well with his world.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, remember when I thought this was going to be a one-shot?...**

 **I lied. Have a continuation of Theron-fluff to tide you lot over until Chapter 10 of KOTFE goes live in January. XD**

 **If I owned Star Wars, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**

* * *

 _It's not fair._ It's the thought most frequently in Theron's mind whenever he thought about her, and the situation they're in. Jedi are expected to be constantly ready for action, and he was already more used to seeing her battle-ready than relaxed, but that did nothing to stop his worry for her. This was more strain than even a Jedi trains to cope with.

It's not enough being the leader of a rebellious alliance determined to take down Zakuul or die trying, and all the work that goes along with that. When people have questions, they forget Lana and Theron between them can answer most inquiries themselves, they go straight to her. When a fight broke out on Odessen (not often, thankfully), she was usually the one resolving it. Status checks and training drills for the troops mustering? She's overseeing it with one of her specialist leaders. Recruitment or supply acquisition? Somehow that's become one of her jobs too.

She kept a smile (or at least a neutral, calm expression) on her face around everyone else, and most people seem to be fooled by her act that everything is going to be okay. But for the ones who saw her the closest, they could see the lines under her eyes, or the grey appearing in her red hair, or the constant tension in her shoulders.

Only one of those people ever saw her cry when the pressure became too much for even her to handle.

* * *

Theron had his own quarters in the Odessen base- all the alliance leaders did. But he spent more time in Xaja's rooms than he did his own, and to hell with what anyone else thought. He sometimes got a scolding look from Lana for not even bothering to be discreet by her standards, or sometimes an approving grin and a wink from Koth (followed by rolled eyes from Senya, and then yet another cold, awkward silence. But that was irrelevant.).

Honestly, he _had_ planned on using his own rooms. But the first night he arrived on-planet, he'd walked her to her quarters near Hylo Visz's base of operations, and when he'd made to politely excuse himself so she could rest, she'd grabbed his hand and whispered that he didn't need to go. Theron hadn't needed any more of an invitation to stay... and considering the way they'd fallen into each other's arms the moment the door closed behind them, she'd missed him as much as he'd missed her.

Five years, he decided as the two gradually stumbled their way to her bed, clothing being divested as quickly as their fingers would allow and with enough passionate kisses to at least start making up for lost time, was definitely too long a parting. He silently vowed to himself that he'd never let her be taken away from him like that again.

Although there was something to be said for delayed gratification...

* * *

The privilege of being the one lucky son-of-a-Hutt (apologies to Dr. Oggurobb) who shared the alliance commander's bed came with a price tag. It was one that Theron willingly paid every night, knowing he'd sacrifice everything to make her life easier.

But he wished he could do more when the visions came at night to torment her. Valkorion still lived inside her head, and that was enough of a disturbing idea- and even between Lana, Senya, Sana-Re, and Xaja herself, a solution had not yet been found for how to rid her of the Emperor's spirit. Theron just tried to not think about _that_ during their lovemaking.

Yet the pain Xaja endured every night didn't seem to be spawned by the unpredictable Emperor. Theron had always been a light sleeper, and it had never taken much to wake him up in the dead of night... and her shaking with silent tears or her whispered pleas for help or mercy definitely qualify.

Theron was never sure what Xaja's nightmares consisted of... she didn't like talking about them, nor did she drop many hints during the dreams themselves. He could sometimes hear names mumbled from her lips... Her old Padawan, her best friend from the Order, her old crew, her family. Not having the ability to give her closure in waking moments about her loved ones frustrated Theron immensely, almost as much as his inability to ease her fears when Arcann visited her dreams. Those ones he always recognized... Few things had ever made her wake up screaming, and those times she would tell him what she'd seen in her nightmares while he tried to console her. It's one thing to mindlessly say 'he can't hurt you anymore' and another to have solid evidence of that fact, and they both knew it.

He'd never been a good comforter, and didn't know what to do when the woman he loved let her tears fall in her sleep or cried out in fear from a vision only she could see. All he could do was snuggle her tighter to his chest when she inadvertently woke him up and try to soothe her fears with gentle touches, light kisses, and murmured comforting-sounding nonsense. He lied when she'd ask if he'd slept well in the morning and did his best to assure her he'd slept like a baby, and then kiss her to try and distract her from the bags forming under his own eyes. Most of the time it worked.

 _There has to be another way to help you..._ He silently pondered as he watched her get dressed in the mornings, always quietly savouring the privilege he had of being the only person she let get this close to her. He still had his contacts looking for her crew and friends and surviving kin, but he wished he could do something to relieve the nightmares of Arcann.

Lana had asked him once why he insisted on always spending the nights with Xaja and not returning to his own rooms. Then she heard one nightmare (this time on a shuttle to Zakuul's Old World when Theron wasn't there) and never questioned it again. Xaja didn't trust many people, especially not on such a deep and intimate level, and Theron knew he was being entrusted with something incredibly delicate. It felt nice to be the one whom the fearless leader could show her fears to, even if he was as helpless as her to do anything about them.

* * *

He tried to keep as many burdens off her back as he could, knowing she was already tasking herself with finding recruits and helping to train the ones already found, or otherwise trying to boost morale. But when she walked in on him and Miot discussing a rebellion base destroyed by a Star Fortress, the base and most of the planetary population around it, she immediately added 'destruction of all such available fortresses' to her own personal list of things to accomplish, and nothing Theron said could convince her to leave it in his capable hands.

He didn't like admitting that she was right when she insisted she was the only one who could infiltrate one of the fortresses and live to tell the tale. And she did her best to brush off his concerns about her greying face and weary eyes, even when Lana and Senya both agreed with him. "It needs to be done!", she'd insisted, and that decided that. At least Hylo's newest recruit, Nico Okarr (who had an irritating fondness of flirting with every pretty female in the base, including Xaja, and gloating about the time when he'd "saved Theron's mom") had volunteered to come along for these adventures. Theron didn't quite like the guy, but after their first go at an infiltration (with Miot manning the shuttle, Theron remotely slicing from the shuttle to the fortress itself, and Xaja and Nico causing mayhem inside), he had to grudgingly admit that the older man was very, very good at what he did.

And he really didn't like admitting that Nico was probably the only reason Xaja survived a couple of those runs. On their second infiltration to the Alderaan Star Fortress, she got knocked off a ledge and knocked out, and Theron couldn't breathe until she resurfaced on his screens in the detention block. It was a joint effort from her and Nico to break out and continue their mission, and Theron stayed on edge and irritable (Miot understood) until the two came running to the rendezvous point, the station exploding around them. The moment Theron had both of them inside the shuttle, he'd grabbed Xaja and soundly kissed her, ignoring Nico's whistles and Miot coughing pointedly. "I thought I lost you," he'd finally murmured when they came apart.

Xaja blushed dark red and ducked her head, embarrassed by the unexpected display of affection. "It'll take more than that to kill me, Theron," she said, but she couldn't quite disregard the bruises on her arms and face, or the red mark on her neck from the collar she'd worn in the prison cell. And it spoke volumes to Theron when she didn't protest him fetching the medkit and handing her painkillers.

The two runs after that went relatively smoothly, even with the added hassles in trying to scrounge up enough resources on the planets to aid their rebellion movements (and Theron insisted on accompanying her for those runs, because it's another thing she wouldn't simply leave to him and Lana to pull off, skilled though she knew they were), but then Belsavis went from 'ordinary hazards' to 'the only way this could be worse would be if Vaylin was here'. Xaja wound up getting knocked out and caught twice, Nico breaking her out both times... then Nico got on the bad side of a Paladin and only a cache provided by Dr. Oggurobb saved his life... and then the Exarch hadn't gone down without a massive fight, and the end result was Xaja and Nico practically half-carrying each other to the shuttle, Nico desperately shooting at the vengeful Skytroopers closing in on them. Theron and Miot had to open fire in the docking area to buy time for the escape, and the agent was never sure how both the Jedi and the older smuggler made it aboard without getting hit in the crossfire. The station imploded just as the team fled, Miot's exemplar piloting skills the only cause for their survival.

Nico had immediately sagged into a seat and muttered something about needing a _very_ stiff drink, although he accepted the kolto pack and painkillers Theron handed him. Xaja had a bleeding wound in her leg from shrapnel, a mild concussion, and if the pain she indicated at when she took a breath was any indication, numerous cracked and broken ribs. Theron sighed as he set to caring for her wounds as best he could, knowing she'd likely have to spend time with Lana or Sana-Re for deeper healing. "There needs to be a better option for this..." he muttered, pausing over her bruised and slightly-swollen shoulder for a moment. How hard did the Exarch throw her around during that fight?!

Xaja just leaned into his gentle touch and tried to keep her groans of pain minimal, probably trying to not worry him further. "What other option? Who else can do this?"

Theron hated that she was right. But looking into her eyes, dulled with pain and weariness, and seeing the new fine lines of grey in her hair, he knew she hated that she was right too. He frowned in worry and gently kissed her hair (and it said something that Nico was too out of it to so much as smirk) before setting back to caring for her wounds. _You need a lucky break soon, love. Something has to go right for you sooner or later..._

An idea began to take root in his mind. It probably wouldn't do much to defeat Zakuul itself, but it might at least set her mind and heart at ease. If he could lessen her worries, so much the better...


	3. Chapter 3

**"Oh, the next chapter will be easy," I said. "I'll have it out before Chapter X goes live," I said.**

 **I apparently am filled with lies, and Theron was being a most uncooperative muse. I'm still not happy with this chapter, but at least it's up now. Sorry about that!**

 **Chapter Three: In which, the Agent and Inquisitor and Smuggler appear; Theron has potential in-laws to deal with; and the Taerich clan is proven to be almost as dysfunctional as the Skywalkers.**

 **If I owned any part of the Star Wars franchise besides the merchandise, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**

* * *

Some days in the Alliance headquarters were better than others. This day was not one of them.

The day had started on a very rough note around four in the morning. The nightmare that Xaja had been trapped in that evening had been worse than normal, and it had taken far longer than usual for Theron to be able to wake her up- and then, of course, her reaction to abruptly being awoken was to bolt upright and smack the top of her head against Theron's face. He didn't begrudge her the discomfort, especially when she'd become aware enough to realize just what had happened and apologised profusely. But after such a rough awakening as that (for both of them), the odds of going back to sleep were next to nil… and that was before Theron remembered that Xaja, being a natural telepath, had probably projected the nightmare through the Force so others could sense it.

Indeed, when Xaja and Theron had made their slow and sleep-deprived way into the war room in the base a couple hours later (there'd been no way in hell Theron would have gone back to sleep until he knew Xaja was all right, and she'd been too scared to rest again, even if she'd denied it), Lana had given them both a concerned look, and Sana-Re had paused to say something quiet and cryptically comforting to the Jedi, in the way that only a Voss could manage. Koth had been oblivious until Senya had kicked him under the table after the Zakuulan made one too many off-hand stupid remarks. Even a couple of the Sith Lords present at the base gave Xaja questioning looks- and one probably would have jeered if Xaja hadn't sensed something and given him a glare dark enough to send him scurrying off on a suddenly-remembered errand. And the day hadn't gotten much better from there.

Another report of Zakuulan presences increasing in the Core Worlds. Another Star Fortress appearing over Voss. Arcann setting another high bounty for the live capture of everyone he knew was associated with the rebellion- currently, that seemed to be limited to Xaja, Senya, Koth, and Lana, with Xaja's head apparently being worth the most credits. One loud shouting match between a Republic corporal and an Imperial private that Xaja had wound up breaking up herself. Scorpio otherwise being more difficult to deal with than normal (and that was saying something). Admiral Aygo having to admit that one of his scouting runs had met with a disaster and five coalition soldiers had been lost near Arkania. M1-4X, the fanatically loyal Republic wardroid Theron had managed to borrow-without-permission from Coruscant (and he suspected his father had had a hand in ensuring the droid's absence wasn't questioned) attempting to kill Major Pierce, a grizzled Imperial veteran who'd once served the Emperor's Wrath, Lord Maglion (and hell if anyone knew where that Sith was. It was probably a good thing he wasn't here though, considering some unfinished business between himself and Xaja of a pain-filled nature.).

Xaja had trudged back into the command centre after telling off Forex and Pierce both for their behaviour (and Theron didn't think he'd ever heard her yell that loudly before. Whatever she'd said, Forex and Pierce were now on their very best behaviour, and so were most of the other soldiers in the base.), raking her hands through her long red hair. "I swear to the Force…" she muttered under her breath, clearly frustrated despite her Jedi training. "Who had the bright idea to program Forex that way?!"

"This Gand does not know, Master Jedi. Forex has been like that since Major Kota brought him into Havoc Squad." Yuun shrugged apologetically as he walked by- although Theron personally thought 'walked' was a misnomer. The huntsman alien _glided_ more than he just walked. "This Gand can try to reason with Forex, as we were squadmates in the last war."

Xaja offered the alien a tight smile in thanks as she turned to walk to Hylo's centre of operations, but didn't get far before being intercepted by Nico and finding a mug of caff in her hand. The older spacer himself made no mention of the uncharacteristically thoughtful action, instead just turning the Jedi around by her shoulders and walking her back to the control room. "I got Hylo's reports already here for ya, Red. Two of her pilots are supposed to be returnin' in today from a run to Hutt Space and…"

Theron absently tuned out Nico's reporting, already knowing the details of the base's status today (it paid to be SIS trained and a naturally snoopy person anyway). Instead, he just focused on Xaja as the Jedi let herself be guided back to a hard chair, sipping at her caff as she took in the data. The bags under her eyes were impressively dark and told anyone halfway observant that she hadn't had a full night of sleep since she'd woken up from carbonite, and most of the time it was nightmare-related. The grey to her hair was hidden by the locks being held back in a nerftail, but Theron still knew the silver strands were there. Her laughter had been almost completely silenced, and there was a stoop to her shoulders that had never been there, even after Ziost. But her eyes, so dark and saddened in their appearance that-

Crash. Thud. Incoherent humanoid shouting.

Xaja's face twisted for a moment in immense reluctance before she started to stand up. Theron quickly intercepted, lightly pushing down on her shoulders. "Lana and I will go deal with that," he said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the Sith had heard that (she had, and would probably have rolled her eyes if Xaja hadn't been right there). "You sit tight and try to relax."

It said something when Xaja didn't protest, but just sighed and settled back into her seat. "You were saying, Nico?" she tiredly asked as Theron and Lana hurried off to the secure lift, set on resolving whatever crisis was going on outside the base.

The conflict ended with some of the newer recruits (two Padawans, a Mandalorian, and one Imperial soldier) being reassigned to go pick up the tall pile of crates that had been knocked over by someone's ineptness with a speeder. Theron wasn't quite sure what exactly had happened, but he and Lana just agreed while walking back to the lift that Xaja was only going to hear of an accident and a couple of minor injuries in the form of bruises. The Sith and the agent didn't agree on a lot of things, but Xaja's wellbeing was one of the few things they were in agreement on.

"Right, she should have all the reports in by this point," Lana was saying as she hit the button to summon the lift back up. "I want to talk with her about some of the training concerns some of the Force Sensitive newcomers have and-" She paused and tilted her head, sensing something in the Force that Theron was blind to… something that made what little colour was already in her pale face drain away. "It can't be… he's dead!"

Theron frowned in confusion, then heard the distinctive whine of a ship's engines- more accurately, the engines of an XS Freighter as it swooped down to the base from the atmosphere. A rare grin tugged at the agent's mouth as he recognized the ship's markings- it had been a couple of years since he'd seen the captain, but knew the man would be incredibly helpful to the alliance. And apparently Lana could sense the passenger Theron had hoped the captain would pick up.

Theron absently hoped Lana would forgive him eventually for neglecting to tell her just who he'd managed to find for the Alliance, and for Xaja's own benefit.

Two men walked out of the ship once it'd docked and started up the ramp to the main portion of the base, both tall and slender of build, probably standing a full foot taller than Xaja had she been beside them to compare. The one in spacer's garb was a little bit more muscular, dark blond hair looking permanently mussed up (Theron knew the spacer did that look on purpose) and hazel eyes that normally had a flirtatious wink to them, when their owner wasn't quite so concerned. The other was a little thinner, even under the light Mandalorian-styled armour he wore, and had his long dark hair in a nerftail. Mandalorians weren't uncommon in the Alliance, but one carrying a lightsaber on his hip was. His eyes were dark brown, and had little about them to hint that once they might have glowed sulphuric yellow. The facial characteristics of both men hinted that they were closely related- brothers, if one knew either of them well.

The spacer was the first one to speak once he'd caught sight of Theron's red jacket and recognized the woman next to him. "Nice hideout," he said with a grin, lightly bumping Theron's shoulder in greeting and giving Lana a deep and exaggerated bow that would have made Nico proud. "Lana, lookin' fabulous as always…"

"Quit it," the other man said, giving the spacer a playful shove before the blond could kiss Lana's hand. His voice, while not quite the spacer's drawl that the first had, was a far cry from the accent one would have expected of a one-time Sith Lord. "It's good to see you again, Theron. Have you been well, Lana?"

Lana's mouth had fallen open in shock, something that the Sith rarely displayed, if ever. "You… you're dead! Imperial records say you died years ago!"

The dark-haired man smirked. "Oh, good. If you were convinced of my demise, that means Zakuul is too… and Darth Acina as well." The man once known as Darth Imperius glanced around, looking for anyone who looked to be still loyal to the old Dark Council or who might have had a grudge against him for one reason or another. "I discovered during the war that someone had uncovered my familial connections and was plotting to use them against me. Whether that would have meant aiding Zakuul or acting independently, I'm not sure, and I thought it prudent to not stay long enough to find out. I faked my death, had my wife and my brother help me get to Mandalorian space, and have been there ever since while trying to find a way to bring Zakuul down. Few people knew what my name was before my ascension, and nobody was looking for a dead man…" He shrugged.

"And considering what the bastards did to our fearless leader, we didn't have any plans on dyin' until we'd gotten even." The spacer cracked his knuckles, a grim and angry light coming to his hazel eyes. Theron felt the barest flicker of something across his senses, enough to remind him that while the blond hadn't ever pursued the path of the Jedi or the Sith, the Force was still with him. Considering who his family was, it wasn't surprising. "She is here though, right?"

"Yeah, she's been here for a while now. All things considered, she's doing okay." Theron smiled, and then felt the grin broaden when he saw the wide-eyed, shocked stare Lana was giving him.

"You… you knew about this?! You were in contact with both of them?!"

"Only Captain Korin. Darth Im- er, Sorand came along for the ride, and I didn't find out about that until recently." Theron raised his hands defensively when Lana took a step toward him. "Hey, I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone he was alive!"

"It's true, Lana. I'm sorry I didn't try to establish contact with you sooner, but with things being as they were…" Sorand shrugged again. "It was better all 'round that the less people who knew I was alive, the better. You're the… sixth person to know of my current status, if that makes you feel better."

"All this time…" Lana shook her head, then gave Theron a glare that warned him she was going to demand answers in detail later. "I'll… I'll go bring her here, then. She'll be pleased to see you both."

Theron nodded in agreement. He'd told Xaja within an hour of meeting her on Odessen the first time that he knew the status of the one-time Darth Imperius and the spacer known as Rogun's Bane, and he'd set himself to finding both of them since. Honestly, he hadn't been expecting either of them to show up quite so quickly, but considering all the (questionably legal) upgrades Korin made to his ship, it was reasonable to assume the brothers could have dropped everything and run to Odessen with Theron's first transmission, and made remarkably good time. The moment Lana disappeared with the lift, Theron felt a datachip being surreptitiously passed to his hand from Korin, and accepted it. "Any problems with the assignment?" he quietly asked both brothers. Korin had been the only one he'd recruited and trained to SIS covert ops standards, but he'd found out upon meeting the supposed-dead Sith Lord with him that he'd gotten both brothers in that deal…

"Nothin' that couldn't be solved with a mugging, a drugging, or any other incident to get blamed on the Zildrog lunatics." Korin's grin had an air of mischief to it that not even Zakuul had been able to drive out of him. "What kinda professional do you take me-" Sorand coughed loudly. "... us for?" Korin quickly amended with a wink.

Theron just raised an eyebrow at both brothers. "Rishi comes to mind…"

"That was all his fault, I'll have you know," Sorand muttered, frowning at his older brother's unrepentant grin.

"Awww, what's life without some adventure?" Korin laughed and leaned one elbow on Theron's shoulder, ignoring his boss's protesting noise. Being two inches taller apparently did make all the difference… "So, did'ja miss us?" he asked with a shameless wink.

Theron rolled his eyes and gave Korin a jab to his ribcage. "Yes, immensely, and most certainly not in the way you're hoping, Captain. There was plenty of… distraction to keep me busy," he added with a grin.

Korin flushed and coughed while Sorand burst into laughter. "And of all the folks in the galaxy…" Theron hadn't originally intended to tell the flirtatious smuggler that the blond captain was hitting on the man who'd slept with said smuggler's older sister, but after that had come to light after the Ziost incident, Korin hadn't been able to look him in the eye for two days… and then had immediately started asking about Lana, to nobody's surprise, Sorand and Theron's amusement, and Lana's frustration.

If Xaja hadn't been in the picture, Theron probably could have been persuaded to go for the handsome spacer. But that was something he was never, ever telling the pretty redhead who'd just appeared on the lift with Lana… dropping the datapad she'd been carrying, and running at both the smuggler and the ex-Sith with a wordless cry of relieved joy… being caught in a tight hug by her youngest brother and swung around before the middle sibling could steal her away. Theron smiled and backed away from the three, giving Xaja some time to get reacquainted with her younger brothers. He would have recruited Korin Taerich and Sorand Taerich (or Rand Verhayc as he was now being called in Mandalorian space) to the alliance even if they hadn't been Xaja's brothers, since good healers with Sith training and unmatched pilots weren't easy to find and were a valuable boost to the alliance forces.

The open smile on Xaja's face and the laughter he could hear from the trio reassured him that he'd made the right call in bringing the brothers in sooner. If only he could get a solid location on where the last surviving member of her family was…

* * *

The nightmares hadn't gone away with her brothers' arrival to Odessen (and with them, two members of Sorand's crew whom he'd found after his flight from the Empire, Dr. Talos Drellik and the quiet assassin Xalek. Nobody from Korin's old crew was present, although he was pretty sure he had a lead as to where one member was hiding out.). But Theron thought they might have gotten better- at least, Xaja hadn't woken him up quite as many times in the two evenings since they'd arrived. Her eyes seemed brighter now, the sorrow in her gaze lessened, and her shoulders stooped less- it was remarkable what the presence of Darth Imperius and one of the most notorious Outer Rim spacers did for both her and the alliance as a whole.

Of course, nobody on the base besides the siblings themselves was entirely clear of how the three had been split apart as children and wound up a Jedi Master, a professional smuggler, and a Sith Lord. Xaja was in the middle of trying to explain the story to Theron as the pair walked back to her quarters in the late evening. "... so Korin managed to escape the raiders, stowed away on one of their ships, and smuggled himself to Coruscant. Sorand was captured after Mum was killed, made a slave, and was found out to be Force-sensitive almost ten years later on Korriban. With how bad the damage was to the city, our father couldn't find either of them for years after the fact…"

"Meanwhile you were in the Jedi Enclave that your parents had sent you to when you were little and had no idea any of that was going on?" Theron gently squeezed Xaja's hand in his own, intertwining his fingers with her own. She'd removed her leatheris gloves already, and he now got the pleasure of feeling her skin directly on his own. Her hands weren't nearly as soft as a normal woman's, so covered in calluses and scars were they, but they were her hands and he loved every marr on her skin. They told an incredibly interesting story about their owner.

"Yeah. The last time I saw my mother, I was six months old. I didn't even know I had brothers until Master Din apprenticed me, or that my mother was a former Jedi and my father was an Imperial agent." Xaja paused and looked at Theron, squeezing his hand back and lightly leaning against his arm, a sign of affection she kept quiet from most of everyone else. "With your's and Lana's contacts, do you know if my father…?"

"He's alive, from what Lana's been able to pull up. I haven't been able to find any solid details on his location yet." The pair turned the corner into Xaja's private chamber, and Theron frowned at the unusual darkness of the room. Not even the large holomap of the galaxy was activated. "What the…"

"Maybe it's another short in the circuits," Xaja muttered. Theron just saw the outline of her head at his shoulder as she looked up to the wires running along the walls. "I'll call Nico and see if he-"

The blast door behind them slid shut with a bang. Theron went rigid as he drew one of his blasters, instinctively pushing Xaja behind him. "It's not the circuit," he whispered, ears straining for any sound in the room that might hint as to the impending peril the two of them were stuck in.

He heard the soft clink of metal, and Xaja moved back to his side, undoubtedly holding one of her lightsabers in a tight grip. He felt more than heard her movements as she leaned forward, probably casting out with the Force senses he would never have. "... There's someone here, but they know how to hide," she murmured. "I can't tell who or where they are."

A Zakuul assassin? An Imperial with a grudge against the Jedi Master who'd caused so much harm to the Empire- or perhaps with a grudge against Darth Imperius or Captain Taerich, and who'd somehow found their connection? Theron frowned and cautiously crept forward, as stealthily as he could manage… which still wasn't careful enough to avoid the cleverly-disguised tripwire that sent him falling over in an undignified heap. He heard Xaja yelp in alarm as she sensed his fall, heard a sudden beep from her direction that sounded like she'd pressed on her wrist-mounted communicator, and froze when the sounds of a soft chuckle drifted in their direction.

A portable camp light was suddenly turned on, revealing the dark shape of a male human leaning against the far wall. Theron could just see the glint of teeth, indicating a broad grin on the intruder's face. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed, Agent Shan. I give the base's security an eight out of ten- honestly, I'd expected better, considering how many Force-users you have here."

Theron scowled as he recognized the voice. If the newcomer hadn't picked such an entrance as to humiliate him, he would have been quite pleased to see the other man… but this was just annoying. At least he knew where Korin got it from.. "Thank you _so_ much for that," he growled as he started clambering back up to his feet, restraining from saying what else was on his mind when he heard Xaja's gasp as the other man moved fully into the light- and then the small Jedi was flying at the man who'd once been known as Cipher Nine to the now-defunct Imperial Intelligence, and still operated as Legault for SIS, all previous intentions of killing to defend gone. There was the sound of breath being knocked from another person, and Agent Reanden Taerich had to adjust his stance so as to not be bowled over by his daughter's relieved hug. The amused smirk on the older man's face melted away into a real smile at the realization that his daughter was actually all right and relieved to see him.

Feeling uncharacteristically awkward, Theron decided to just leave the room and give Xaja time to reunite with her father in private (and see if he could fix whatever Reanden had done to the circuits in her quarters). But just as he reached a hand to the still-closed door, he heard the rush of pounding footsteps outside, and the pressure on his mind that reminded him of an approaching (and furious) Sith and- uh-oh. He dived out of the way just as the door opened and two other men charged into the room, one dual-wielding blasters and the other activating a bright green lightsaber. "What the hell's going on here?!" Sorand shouted, his left hand rapidly obscuring under a building of white sparks of lightning in his fingers. Of course, he would have sensed his sister's sudden alarm and come running, and Korin would have been right behind him. Those two were close enough that they could have been twins.

Reanden had initially reached for the blaster on his hip when he'd heard the door thud open, but had seemingly relaxed when he recognized the would-be avengers. "Nice to see you too, boys," he said with a smirk. "You need to work on the reaction times, though, and Agent Shan can tell you what exactly needs to be fixed with your base's security."

"... Dad?"

"Dad?!"

Theron quietly slipped out of the room as weapons were lowered and a surprise family reunion took place, catching Xaja's gaze and giving her a smile, which she returned. He couldn't quite take the credit for Agent Taerich's arrival on Odessen (and wasn't quite sure what the older man knew of Theron's involvement with his daughter, but really was entirely okay with putting _that_ conversation off as long as possible), but knowing she was happy to see her kin again was enough.

And now that he could quit justifying searching for the remainder of Clan Taerich as "researching valuable recruits for the Alliance" to Lana, it was back to focusing singlemindedly on taking down Arcann. But with a former Sith Lord, a professional double-agent, and the best smuggler from the Outer Rim now part of the crew, it should be easier now.

Right?

* * *

 **I have a muse kicking around for some Odessen outtakes that aren't quite worthy of a chapter in this story. Haven't quite decided yet if I'm going to write and publish anything like that, but we'll see. All pending the job situation.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews and favourites, humans! You lot are lovely people, and I love finding all the fellow Theron-fangirls (and fanboys) out there. Next chapter, featuring all the recruitment stories, coming... soon. Ish. Maybe.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to Chapter Four: in which, the Alliance grows by leaps and bounds, Reanden disapproves of shenanigans, things explode, and Theron nearly resorts to gratuitous violence.**

 **Also the shameless filler chapter so I can get to the next KOTFE chapter because FEELS. *cackle***

 **Also also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed and critiqued this little brainspawn of mine! I've tried to take all your suggestions regarding getting Theron in on the action (innuendo probably not intended...), and I hope you approve of the results!**

 **If I owned any part of the Star Wars universe besides merchandise and a Jawa costume, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**

* * *

The reactions around Odessen Base were mixed when it was commonly realized that the three newest recruits to the upper tier of alliance leadership were all closely related to the Commander. Theron heard mutterings about 'favouritism' and 'family enterprise, huh?' and the like everywhere he went. Sorand had (for now) managed to keep his old identity hidden, and only introduced himself as an exiled Sith Lord with a better sense of self-preservation than reckless heroism, and Reanden had never been identifiable as an agent for either the Empire or the Republic- he merely said that he had plenty of connections that would be of benefit to the Alliance. Korin, of course, bragged about his exploits to anyone who'd listen, and it wasn't uncommon to find him in the cantina with Nico and Hylo Visz discussing smuggling routes, bounties, and the current record for 'least amount of parsecs for the Kessel Run' (eighteen, currently held by a Twi'lek smuggler elsewhere in the galaxy, and everyone in the base with both believed it would never be beaten, and was determined to break that record themselves).

Of course, then Xaja and Theron had led a team to the Star Fortress looming menacingly over Voss. When the stories came back to the base of how Reanden had been able to sneak aboard the station and slice into the mainframe to reinforce Theron's work on the shuttle, and how Nico and Korin had efficiently torn apart the Skytrooper production line while Xaja and Sorand had neatly carved their way through countless Knights and Paladins, and a very angry Exarch, well… Nobody doubted the usefulness of Master Taerich's family now.

This was further established when Reanden Taerich became the only person Scorpio would obey with minimal complaining and snide comments.

Theron was also quietly delighted to realize that Sorand had very quickly established himself as 'the person to talk to when Master Taerich wasn't available and Theron and Lana were busy'. It gave Xaja a much-needed break, which she could have used sleeping or meditating… instead, it meant she just had more time to go over the potential recruitment files and aid with solving new crises that came up.

And so, Theron only felt minorly guilty for pulling her into the briefing room to discuss a potential recruit for the Alliance on Zakuul. "We only know her as Firebrand. She's an anarchist, responsible for countless bombings and arson attacks in the Spire. With her established hatred for Arcann, she could be a useful-"

"Firebrand?! She's a terrorist, not an ally!" Koth immediately protested.

"She's potentially both. Any enemy of Arcann could be useful for us," Xaja interrupted, which apparently didn't do a thing to placate Koth's indignation. "What else do you know about her, Theron?"

"Not much. She's fond of explosives and targets major buildings- spaceports, Knight outposts, you name it."

"She also has a legion of followers," Lana added from where she'd been analyzing Theron's findings on Firebrand. "Scorpio, you were connected to the Zakuulian underworld, do you know who she might be?"

"Negative, Sith. But her followers are surprisingly loyal. They create murals in her honour, and even trade holos of her handiwork."

Koth looked sufficiently horrified at that notion.

Xaja frowned in thought, her forehead creasing in that furrow that Theron normally found to be adorable. "If Firebrand can be swayed to our cause, she could be a great asset… is there any way to get in contact with her if we don't have her real identity?"

"The Lady of Sorrows could offer explosives to draw her out," Scorpio volunteered (a surprisingly helpful offer).

"It's worth checking out, in any case," Xaja finally nodded. "Thank you, Scorpio. Please set up the rendezvous with Firebrand, and I'll head for Zakuul immediately."

"And I'm backup for you if you need it," Theron added, giving her a warm smile. She beamed back at him and gently squeezed his hand under the table, a gesture that he returned while pointedly ignoring Lana's annoyed look.

"An anarchist…" Reanden spoke up for the first time, frowning at the planning console in thought. He appeared to be rifling through old memories, as though the term had triggered something in his mind. Eventually the older man shrugged. "I'll come with you. There's something that I'd like to investigate on Zakuul anyway, and it might be connected to Firebrand."

 _Dammit._ Theron couldn't protest his lover's father coming along for the trip though, and judging by the pointed look he got from the older agent, Reanden knew it too… and knew exactly why Theron wasn't thrilled about having his private time on the shuttle with Xaja interrupted. _Maybe he won't be too upset about the fact I'm with his daughter?..._

And maybe Theron would spontaneously develop Force-sensitivity and become the next Jedi Grand Master after his mother.

* * *

Reanden had only waited until Xaja was sufficiently distracted with detailed mission notes (all of which Theron already knew and had compiled for her) before dragging him into the engine room of the shuttle and turning a vibrodagger on him. Theron had never quite figured out just how many blades Reanden kept on his person… "Listen, Shan. I don't really care that you've made a Jedi Master break their vows of non-attachment. That's none of my concern."

 _I should think not. Didn't you do the same with her mother?_ Theron had learned that tidbit of information from Korin years ago, as explanation for how he and his siblings were all strong enough with the Force to use it instinctively, but wisely kept quiet in the moment.

"I'm not even concerned about my daughter's so-called purity. Unlike some systems in the galaxy, my people don't tie a woman's worth to that status." The dagger flicked out faster than Theron's cybernetically-enhanced eyes could track, and the agent felt cold metal against his throat. "Xaja might be a Jedi, strong enough with the Force to go up against Vitiate multiple times and live to tell the tale, brave enough to take on Revan himself, and respected enough to still have fans in what's left of the Republic and grudging admirers in the Empire… but before any of that, she was _my_ baby girl." Hazel eyes, the same as Reanden's sons' and glinting with the same stubborn, cold anger that his daughter showed during any tales of Zakuul's crimes, glared into Theron's with enough intensity that the younger man wondered if he might spontaneously combust. "I also don't really care that I officially have to report to you. If you ever do anything to make her cry, Shan…" Reanden's voice dropped to a low, cold growl that would have made a Sith proud and made Theron's blood chill. "I can make you wish you'd never been born, before handing you over to her brothers. My younger son didn't become Darth Imperius by charming the rest of the Dark Council, and my older one won't care that you're supposedly his friend and his boss if you hurt his sister. And between the three of us, we can ensure you're never found."

It was with no small amount of effort that Theron matched Reanden's flat, menacing glare- it took every bit of SIS training and his early lessons in Jedi emotional control to do it without quaking from the fear coursing through his veins. "Your daughter means more to me than anyone else in this galaxy," he hissed at the other man. "I'd sooner die than hurt her. I lost her once before, I swear I'm not ever going to let that happen again." The thought that with her dangerous role as the Alliance Commander, she might one day not return from a mission, or come home in a kolto tank or on a funeral pyre- no. He couldn't think that. He didn't dare let himself go down that mental path. The patchy memories he had of his year or so of mourning and trying to drink himself into oblivion after her reported execution still hurt. Having her back with him was a miracle, and one he didn't intend to waste or make light of.

Reanden's eyes stayed fixed on Theron's for a long moment, the edge of the dagger still pressed against the younger man's throat, before he slowly withdrew the weapon and resheathed it up his sleeve. "We'll see, Agent. Just remember- you're not the only one who sees and hears everything that goes on in the base. You're not the only one who lost her five years ago."

"Understood, sir," Theron muttered. "As long as she wants me here, I'm hers and staying. She has my word." He didn't think he could ever love someone in this way again after opening himself up to Xaja in a way that he never had with anyone else. Not even his mother or Master Zho had seen Theron as vulnerable as he let himself be with her. And he hadn't even so much as looked at another person (male or female) during the five years he'd been separated from her…

Reanden had barely opened his mouth to respond before "Dad? Theron?" came from the main seating area of the shuttle. Edging around the older man, Theron poked his head out of the engine room as Xaja came around, a confused look on her face. "... Is everything okay?" she asked, looking between her father and her lover and probably sensing the tension through the Force.

Theron forced a smile onto his face and lightly kissed Xaja's red hair, doing his best to ignore the dagger-like stare Reanden was drilling into the back of his head. "We're okay. Just… clearing some things up. Any new theories you might have on the mission?"

Xaja glanced back and forth again between both men, clearly not quite believing Theron, but let herself be distracted by the work discussion. But there was that look in her eyes that said she was going to figure out what exactly had transpired in that little conversation back there, and the grudging sense of suspicion and mistrust from the man accompanying them. Theron bit back a groan of frustration. How did he land himself in this situation?...

* * *

Although, to be entirely fair, Firebrand's shocked "No way. There's _no blasted way_ ," and her pulling a blaster on Reanden when she caught sight of the older agent's face after the trio made short work of the Skytroopers pinning the woman down behind a barricade made the uncomfortable shuttle ride all worth it.

Reanden had apparently looked down the business end of a blaster too many times to be unduly alarmed by the sight, because he just chuckled. "Nice to see you too, Kaliyo. It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

"You're supposed to be dead after that one bad run!" Firebrand (or Kaliyo, as Theron supposed her real name was) snapped, immediately before swinging the blaster around to Xaja at her father's side, lightsaber still in hand. "New girlfriend on Republic-side? Does she know you're probably old enough to be her dad?"

Theron had to hide a grin as Xaja deadpanned, "That's because he is."

Kaliyo's eyes widened even further as the blaster swung back around to Reanden. "How old _are_ you?!" she yelped.

From Theron's angle, he couldn't see Reanden's face clearly, but he could hear the flat tone to the agent's voice. "Thank you _so_ much for that, Kaliyo. Alliance Commander and Jedi Master Xaja Taerich… and Agent Theron Shan… meet Kaliyo Djannis, formerly part of my old team in Imperial Intelligence."

"Freelancer and explosives expert," Kaliyo interjected by way of introduction. "And why do I get the feeling you don't have my explosives?"

"Your senses tell you well," Xaja smoothly interjected. "But what we do have is an opportunity. You're as opposed to Arcann as we are…"

Theron let Xaja's recruitment speel pass through his mind as the comm link in his jacket pocket suddenly buzzed, a preset signal from a contact of his in the Spire. _Of all the times to have that data I need…_ he inwardly sighed. He stayed quiet until Kaliyo seemed to grudgingly accept that she now would be working with her old boss and his daughter, then gently nudged Xaja's arm as the group started walking to a turbolift further in the abandoned tram station. "Hey, I've got a contact I need to meet with," he murmured, giving her an apologetic look. "Are you…?"

Xaja smiled and lightly touched her forehead to Theron's (never minding she had to strain her petite body upwards and he had to lower his own head toward her to do that). "We'll be fine. Take care of yourself out there."

"You too. Stay safe; I'll meet you at the rendezvous before we leave the planet." Theron gave her a final, lingering smile, nodded once at Reanden (observing with a raised eyebrow) and Kaliyo (who had a broad smirk on her face), and slunk away to meet up with his newest link to a soldier from his father's old unit.

* * *

Naturally, between Kaliyo trying to blow up the Spire and a pack of very angry Knights, and a highly unfortunate run-in with some Skytroopers, Theron didn't find Xaja again until they met up on Odessen, coming into the command centre just in time to hear Kaliyo flip out over Scorpio's presence and alter-ego as the Lady of Sorrows, Reanden's laughter at his old crewmates resuming a years-old squabble, and Dr. Lokin observing everything with a growing look of horror in his eyes at the anarchist's return. Xaja, seemingly determined to not get involved in this growing argument, just sighed as she greeted Theron and muttered "She's a great shot and knows her way around explosives… just don't trust her with anything not requiring mass destruction."

"Okay, so we're nailing down everything that could possibly be stolen. Got it." Theron grinned as Xaja rolled her eyes, unable despite her Jedi training to hide the smile his words produced.

* * *

Compared to the entire misadventure that was finding and recruiting the reformed Havoc Squad (much to Yuun and Forex's delight), gaining Kaliyo's allegiance was easy. First, there was the hassle of making sure Theron's name and connections weren't implicated in any way in assisting the squad with their treason to the Republic- he wasn't sure his father would forgive him for _this_ fiasco, no matter what the endgame was. While Aric Jorgan respected Theron, he made no secret of the fact that he wasn't on friendly terms with anyone left in Republic space and didn't seem willing to trust Xaja right off.

And then a Zakuulian satellite and Skytroopers had found their rendezvous in the swamps and all hell broke loose. Theron had wound up being escorted at a run by Jorgan's second-in-command to the base camp, and there he'd remained tense and on edge until a handful of Zakuulian refugees trickled into the camp, leaning on each other and telling everyone around the tale of how two Core Worlds trespassers were shooting Skytroopers and aiding in evacuation efforts away from Arcann's enforcers. Eventually, through the sounds of blaster fire and animal growls, and after the rest of the pack of refugees made it to safety, the Cathar soldier and the human Jedi made their way into the camp as dusk settled in the swamp, Jorgan with an old man leaning on his shoulder and Xaja carrying a terrified-looking child, the boy's not-much-older sister virtually glued to her side. Of course she would have let herself be delayed by civilians… if she had any weakness, it was a child and the mere thought of that child being in harm's way.

For a brief moment, an image flashed through Theron's mind of Xaja holding their child, before the vision was swiftly quashed. He wasn't sure what scared him more: the idea that he was committed enough to anyone to start a family, or the prospect of a child with his smart-assed personality and Xaja's stubbornness and temper. Besides, bringing a child into a galaxy at war didn't promise to end well for any party involved.

He tuned back into the conversation at hand as Jorgan sat on a camp stool, Xaja leaning against a munitions canister to talk with him. "You've saved a lot of lives today, Jedi," the Cathar was saying. "We'll discuss our new objective tomorrow. 0700 hours."

Xaja nodded and inclined her head to the soldier. "Rest well, Major," she said, then pushed herself off the canister to find herself a place to rest for the night. One smile from her was all it took for Theron to join her, a hand resting on her lower back as they walked to an out-of-the-way nook. "I'm glad you made it back all right," she said softly, leaning a bit into his side. She fit so perfectly under his arm, like one part of an old-styled puzzle with another. "Any major difficulties?"

"Nah. Just a few packs of Skytroopers that are with us no longer." Theron gently nuzzled her hair as he settled down on a bedroll, letting Xaja sit beside him and lean into his chest. "Are you hurt?"

"Couple of bruises and one lurker trying to take a bite out of my leg, and I smell like I fell into a swamp." Which meant she probably had slipped at one point. And Theron had thought the dampness of her outer robe was from the swamp's humidity…

He grinned and kissed her temple. "If it makes you feel any better, you're the prettiest swamp monster I've ever seen."

She laughed and lightly shoved him back onto the bedroll. "You're such a jerk some days, you know that?"

"You like it," Theron chuckled as he dragged her back down to lie beside him. "What would you do without me?"

"Be a good little Code-adhering Jedi with a lot fewer allies is what." Xaja wriggled out of her outer robe, setting it to the side with her belt and boots. Theron's own outer garments joined hers a minute later, before the Jedi turned and snuggled her back against his chest. He knew her body mannerisms well enough to be able to tell when she was just tired and needed rest- and some instinct told him the next day was going to be exhausting for all parties involved. "Sleep well, Theron…"

"You too, angel." Theron stayed awake for some time after Xaja's breathing evened out though, brushing his fingers through her mussed red hair and wishing he knew why he could feel dread building in the pit of his stomach at the thought of what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

He'd known the milisecond Xaja realized just what the objective was for Major Jorgan's op that she'd go for it. And he also had known he'd probably be the one leading the diversion attack. He just hadn't realized how many Zakuulians would come out in full vengeful force to defend the outpost, though.

Theron dodged behind a tree as blaster bolts peppered the air where he'd been a minute before and raised his left wrist to his mouth. "We can't keep this up for too much longer!" he shouted. "Havoc, Commander, how far are you with your side of things?"

His earpiece implant crackled, then Xaja's voice came back to him, sounding harried and strained. "I don't know what happened with that diversion, but we're in deep here. We need backup!"

"Working on it," Theron answered, "but we're not having an easy run either. You'll have to hold out as long as you can there." Frack, that hurt him to say to her...

Two metres away, Korin loudly groaned at his sister's assessment of the situation. "We need clones of ourselves," the other agent complained before whirling around and shooting another Skytrooper with both blaster pistols, frying the chassis.

"Another one of you to deal with? No thanks." Theron gave the smuggler a tight grin as his gaze trailed to the side and- "Frack, DUCK!" His own blasters fired, and Sorand dropped a few feet away as the Knight of Zakuul staggered backward. It wasn't enough to kill the enemy, but it did buy the younger ex-Sith just enough time to whirl around, slash out with his green-bladed lightsaber, and then bring the Force to bear against his attacker. Sorand might have changed his allegiance to the Light Side of the Force, but his training was still Sith, and primarily focused on keeping himself alive and killing with lightning.

"Thanks for the warning!" he shouted back at Theron as the Knight fell and did not stir again. Then the Sith was racing off, having seen members of the Alliance strike team fall and hurrying to keep them alive.

Theron nodded sharply back to Sorand, then hustled to another cover point, the sounds of battle ringing in his ears as Lana stopped beside him, breathing hard. "What's your take?"

"We're in a bad way, but there's Skytrooper reinforcements heading for the outpost. Xaja's right, we need to start retreating. If she and Havoc don't make it out of here, this entire operation will be lost."

 _And at least four members of this alliance will probably go catatonic again._ Theron scowled and tapped one of his implants. "Agent Taerich, you get that?"

"Copy that, Agent Shan. Coordinating your retreat to the outpost." Reanden's voice was cool in the earpiece, and Theron was glad the older man had remained in the shuttle to monitor things remotely. The channel changed with a tiny click, and Theron heard "All units, pull back to reinforce Havoc Squad's position. All units, pull back."

Theron watched the wave of Alliance forces start moving back through the trees, doing their best to stay in the covered areas where the droids and walkers had problems getting to them, and joined the mass of sentience fighting their way out of this part of the battle. _We're coming, Xaja. Hang on a little bit longer!_

* * *

The fighting didn't get any easier at the outpost. Havoc Squad, for all of their elite skills, had their hands full trying to keep the Zakuulian forces at bay, and had gathered themselves at the end of the bridge leading into the compound itself. At least one soldier looked to be injured, but Theron didn't see any non-Zakuulian dead around them.

And presumably, the sounds of blaster fire, flames, and lightsaber humming in the middle of the compound was Xaja's location with Major Jorgan. At least she and Jorgan had gotten the data they needed, according to their comm chatter, and were trying to beat their own retreat, but it looked hampered by the enemy forces. And the swarm of Skytroopers and Knights just arriving from a dropship to pin Havoc between the bridge and escape wasn't going to help matters.

Not, of course, that Theron's rapidly-dwindling team could do a lot of good. "We're stuck in the south quarter," he shouted over the comm channel as he shoved one of his soldiers out of the line of fire. He hadn't been able to save the soldier's partner, and winced as the man died under Skytrooper blaster bolts. "They just keep coming!"

"We're pinned down! Can anyone reinforce us?" came Lana's shout from elsewhere. In the cacophony of noise (both from the battle surrounding him and from the yells of Havoc's members over the comms) he couldn't quite tell where the Sith was, but thought she was somewhere off to his left. And then Senya's barked order to not engage the Knights she leaped into battle with made him cringe. Had Arcann sent the entire blasted Spire after them?

Instinct told Theron to suddenly duck as blue lightning shot over his head to kill an armoured foe behind him. He nodded once at Sorand as the ex-Sith threw the dying Knight away from him, then rose high enough to send a hail of bolts at the approaching Skytroopers. Four went down under his, Korin, and Koth's combined fire. He could just hear Kaliyo's gleeful yells as she started taking out foes at a distance with precise sniper shots, watched Lana finally appear to jump into the fray to reinforce Senya's attacks as Sorand reverted to healing those around him, saw a group of Skytroopers suddenly disappear in flames from somebody's well-thrown grenades, and for a moment had the thought that just maybe they would all get out of here alive-

A dropship landed in the compound as Skytroopers gained the exit to the bridge, despite the best efforts of the Alliance team. Havoc Squad was trapped, and Xaja with them. Theron's heart thudded into his stomach as he felt the colour drain from his face. Leaving Korin to shoot at the bulk of the now-reduced enemy with all of the sharpshooter skills that a gunslinger mastered, he darted into cover closer to the bridge and managed to take down one droid soldier. But the distance wasn't optimal, even for his impressive firing skills, and there were too many enemies- he ducked out of the way of more fire, and glanced back to the rest of his team. "Sorand!" he yelled, gesturing with one blaster to the bridge when the ex-Sith looked his way.

Sorand's eyes widened as he recognized the situation and started charging forward, lightning already dancing around his left hand. "Cover me!" he shouted back at Theron, stepping into the open clearing, the Force being used to create a shield around him to deflect enemy fire-

The dropship at the far end of the bridge exploded in a ball of fire. Theron's heart stopped. _Xaja..._

Sorand had also frozen in confusion and horror at the explosion, but now he was tearing forward again, faster than any human should have had the right to move. The lightning that tore through the Skytroopers was brighter and hotter than anything he'd cast previously, and Theron had a suspicion that the younger man's eyes would have been glowing bright yellow with rage at his sister's dreaded fate. It was a vengeance that he was happy to aid with, and he exited his cover, shooting with pinpoint accuracy that would have impressed even Korin. If he lost her all over again, except this time without the hope of a miracle…

Wait. Another explosion, this time from within the bridge, and the sound of the detonation reminded him of… grenades? Maybe some of Havoc had survived the first explosion.

Theron made it to the battlefield behind Sorand, both men running to the rear entrance ramp of the compound (considering the bridge was virtually unusable at this point), and gaining the deck just in time to hear Aric Jorgan's yell of "About damned- time?" Theron raced around the corner and blinked in shock at the dozen Zakuulian refugees gathering in front of Jorgan and his squad and the flame-haired Jedi emerging from around the far side of the burned-out dropship. The spy thought he hadn't felt relief like that since he'd first had confirmation that Xaja hadn't been executed by Arcann five years ago.

"We heard your call and knew what had to be done," the leader of the refugees (Theron knew his name, but with the heat of a desperate battle and his recent fear for Xaja clouding his mind, little details like identity escaped his memory) explained, looking a little bit sheepish for his unsanctioned participation in the battle. More of his people were emerging from the trees, and Theron had a feeling they'd just ensured the survivals of what remained of the Odessen strike team. "We've spent our entire lives being defended by those same droids, but no more. We want to fight back."

"I, for one, am entirely in favour of that notion," came a dry, if weary, feminine voice. Xaja limped over to the group, her posture indicating that she'd suffered some new injuries during the fierce battle- potentially broken ribs, what looked like a blaster wound to her left arm, lightsaber scoring across the shoulder portion of her armour, and a new bleeding gash over her temple, but she was alive. "You and your people just took your first steps in regaining your own independence- be proud of yourselves." Her eyes darted to Theron and Sorand, lighting a bit when she realized they were both alive and relatively unharmed (discounting the bruises Theron could feel on the right side of his jaw and across his abdomen, and the nasty slice from flying shrapnel Sorand had taken to his arm). "What's our status like?" she asked, managing to keep a businesslike tone in place.

"We took a beating, but the mission looks to be a success," he answered, somehow keeping his voice level and not betraying his worry. "Did you get everything that you needed from the outpost?"

"Affirmative," Jorgan growled, shifting his grip on his sniper rifle. The charge on the weapon looked to be almost completely depleted at this point. "Let's get the hell out of here. I want to get these rebels set up in our base camp."

Sorand nodded to the formerly-Republic soldier (who hesitated only minutely before returning the gesture to the ex-Sith), then looked at Xaja and Theron. "I'll start mobilizing our forces back to the base." _Or what's left of them,_ went unspoken. "We'll rendezvous with you there."

"Understood. We'll be there with Major Jorgan once his unit's settled back in."

* * *

Major Jorgan now had his own personal militia unit training under Arcann's nose, and looked as pleased with the prospect as Theron had ever seen him. Part of that might have also been his new-found friendship with Admiral Aygo (much to the dismay of most of the Alliance soldiers in the base), or perhaps because Xaja had told Scorpio where the droid- _sorry, highly advanced intelligence unit_ \- where she could put her opinions about the giving of Alliance equipment to Jorgan's rebels. Theron had never seen a dro- non-sentient lifeform sulk quite like that before, but now Scorpio appeared to be making up for being told off by the Jedi commander by picking fights with everyone around.

Reanden, of course, was exempt, probably because he was the only person Scorpio sometimes listened to. Apparently Theron was an acceptable substitute, and if Scorpio hadn't called Xaja back to the command centre an hour after she'd left to discuss Havoc Squad's findings, Theron probably would have called her himself to ask if he could _please_ get away with shooting the glorified egocentric chassis. Lana and Reanden probably would have killed him for that, but it would have been worth the satisfaction, and he was reasonably sure Kaliyo would have helped him with an alibi.

It was with no small amount of relief that he turned to see Xaja enter the bunker, Korin limping behind her. "Oh good, you're here."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. "What an astute observation, Agent Shan," came the cool, sarcastic observation. "It's a wonder that the SIS could get by without your deductive skills."

Theron felt a muscle in his jaw clench as he turned back to Scorpio. "You," he growled out, "are a _droid_ who's gotten too big for her own bolts."

"Five minutes," came the snapping voice of Lana, loud enough to distract both Theron and Scorpio from the building fight. "Can you two not get along for five _blasted_ minutes?!"

"Ooooh, I'll start timing!" Korin eagerly piped up, checking the watch on his wrist as Xaja facepalmed. "Starting in three, two, one… go!"

Lana gave the smuggler a withering glare. "Why do I get the feeling you're encouraging this more than helping?"

Xaja sighed. "Enough, all of you." She swatted Korin upside the back of his head, earning a small, indignant yelp, before looking at Theron and Scorpio. "What's going on?"

Right, Xaja had been called down here for a purpose besides peacekeeping. Trying to rely on his early childhood Jedi training to keep his fury in check, Theron turned back to Scorpio and spoke with the sweetest tone he could muster around clenched teeth. "Scorpio, show the commander what you found from the data we recovered… _please._ "

Thankfully, Scorpio seemed to think better of making another dig at Theron with a Jedi Master and a highly-irritated Sith Lord standing right there. "We've detected a sub-code hidden inside the Zakuulian transmissions. Upon further analysis of Havoc Squad's data, we've determined that this is the Gemini frequency. Schematics of the Spire that Kaliyo stole confirm this."

"This," Theron interjected, feeling Scorpio's glare at his back (if the _droid_ could glare, which Theron wouldn't put past her), "is the break we've been waiting for. This is how Arcann transmits orders to the entire Eternal Fleet!"

Xaja's eyes lit up with that mischievous light that Theron knew meant she was scheming for how to best use that to their advantage. If the precious data against Arcann wasn't enough of a reward for the dangers the Alliance had just endured, knowing that Xaja was highly pleased with this certainly was.

And now there was a tangible shot at success for their endgame. Arcann would hopefully soon be hurting for what he'd done to them all.


	5. Chapter 5-1

**I had fun with this chapter. The latest KOTFE chapter gave me so many Theron-centric angsty plot bunnies, and I was pleased. Part One of two.**

 **If I owned Star Wars, do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction?**

* * *

A recruit to the SIS was not permitted field agent status until they had passed a strict set of criteria- unrivaled memory skills, the ability to keep quiet about sensitive details, a certain degree of slicing and weapon training, and (arguably the most important factor), tight emotional control that would impress even a Jedi. It was never ideal for an agent to let greed, lust, anger, or terror cloud their judgement on a mission that could have severe repercussions for the Republic, and the galaxy at large.

Theron Shan was one of the best field agents the SIS had ever had on their payrolls, even with his propensity for breaking the rules and raising hell virtually wherever he went (and the less said about the time he blew up an Imperial superweapon in nothing but his underwear, the better). And if he had been judged today for suitability as an operative for the Republic's spy agency, he would have failed miserably.

It's not encouraged for SIS agents to experience panic.

* * *

"You're going to let a bunch of grenade-happy bucketheads deal with this mission?!" came Kaliyo's indignant rant as Major Jorgan smirked at her from the other side of the holocom table. "That's throwing away our best chance at winning this thing. Let me handle it and I'll get it to you intact!"

"Havoc Squad has their task, Kaliyo," Xaja answered, somehow maintaining the straight face of a Jedi trying to keep their annoyance in check. "But they won't be able to get to the mission objective without someone causing a diversion, and you're the best one for the job." That at least seemed to get a proud smirk across Kaliyo's face.

Theron did his best to ignore the murderous glares Senya and Koth were throwing at Kaliyo's wavering blue form (apparently the necessity for Firebrand to turn up in a sarlaac's stomach in a thousand years or so was the only thing those two agreed on) and pretended to focus on the datapad in his hand. _Hopefully this attempt at a diversion goes better than the last one…_ He was pretty sure his bruises still had bruises from the fight at the Knight outpost. The spy looked up again as Xaja gave the very stern order for Kaliyo to not rack up any civilian casualties.

"What about pets?" Kaliyo raised her hands mockingly as Senya snarled. "Kidding!"

"We'll meet you at the rendezvous, Commander," Jorgan saluted, and both Alliance operatives disappeared.

Theron started walking away to go finalize some other details for the operation, but slowed his steps when he heard Lana speaking to Xaja. "... I don't like it either, but it may be worth consulting Valkorion. He did build the Spire, and may have more information we could use."

 _I have a bad feeling about this…_ Anything concerning the two-time Emperor felt like a terrible idea to Theron, and his gut immediately clenched with the too-familiar feeling of impending dread.

Xaja didn't seem to have that same premonition Theron did, though. She thought for a moment and shrugged. "I suppose it can't hurt. The worst he can do is tell me what a terrible job I'm doing."

"And we all know he's just trying to make himself feel important again," Sorand added as he meandered over and casually draped an arm over Xaja's shoulders, earning an 'oof' from the petite Jedi. "We think you're doing a remarkably good job here, considering who you have to work with." He paused, then spoke a little louder, grinning broadly at Theron. "I mean, look at _that_ guy, for instance…"

"Hey!"

"Well… you're doing a _decent_ job, I guess," Korin added with a smirk as he appeared at Xaja's other side and mussed up his sister's hair.

"You two are the biggest twits I've ever met," Xaja laughed as she elbowed both brothers in the ribs (hard enough to earn yelps). Turning, the red-haired Jedi called her robe to her with the Force from where she'd previously set it over a railing, shrugged it on, checked to ensure both her lightsabers were attached to her belt (it never hurt to be careful, after all), and paused to give Theron a hug. "I should be back soon."

Something that Theron couldn't identify had set up lodging in his gut and insisted that she was wrong. _But it's Odessen, we haven't even seen hostile wildlife yet. And Yuun's device is supposed to be hiding us from Zakuul's long-range scanners. What could she run into out there, besides a spider?_ The anxiety remained despite his rationalizing, and every instinct wanted to tell her to not leave the base or talk to Valkorion. But how could he explain that to a Jedi Master who spent most of her entire life in some form of danger? "Stay safe," he finally murmured, even though his eyes had the most pleading _don't go out there_ expression he could muster.

It didn't work. Xaja brushed her fingers over his cheek and stretched up to kiss him lightly. "Everything'll be fine," she said with a small smile, probably trying to calm the unreasonable apprehension coursing through Theron's body. "I'll be back by dusk at the latest." Then she'd exited the command centre with a wave over her shoulder, and Theron forced himself to sit down and pretend everything was all right.

Sorand and Korin, the two Force-sensitives who knew Xaja the best (discounting the still-missing Kira Carsen and Lord Scourge), didn't seem to be unduly worried. Lana was giving Theron a strange look, but also appeared unconcerned about Xaja. And Senya was still too furious about Kaliyo's involvement with the operation to appear worried about the Alliance Commander's new gambit. Not even Reanden, for all that he was a protective father of all three of his offspring, seemed anxious. _Maybe it's all just in your head. You've seen Xaja fight before and know she's one of the few who can hold her own against Arcann. And she'll be within comm range, and you yourself put security cameras everywhere around the base. She'll be okay._

* * *

Less than an hour later, Theron was jolted out of his musings on the operation by Reanden's oddly-frightened-sounding "What the-?!". The spy looked up to see Xaja's father bending over the computer connected to the security cameras, and the screen just indicated the exterior cameras. _Xaja had gone outside to talk to Valkorion away from everyone else…_

The dread that had been building in Theron's stomach came roaring back with a vengeance as he hurried over, crowding in with both of Xaja's brothers and Lana as Reanden furiously typed a replay command into the computer. The footage wavered as it rewound, then the small crowd watched Xaja walk into the camera's line of vision, seeming to be speaking although no sound came from the recording. The Jedi paused, said something else, cautiously turned with a frown, and glared at what to Theron looked like empty space. _She once said he sometimes shows himself to her…_

There seemed to be a short-lived argument, Xaja's glare deepening with every word Valkorion presumably said to her- then suddenly, fear flashed across her face, something Theron had rarely seen her show before. Then she was flying backwards on currents Theron couldn't see, as helpless as an old-styled rag doll, then there was a flash of light-

And Xaja Taerich had vanished without a trace.

Over the noise of his pulse roaring in his ears, Theron didn't hear Sorand's sudden terrified order of "Lana, with me!", or the sound of pounding footsteps as both Sith ran for the lift. He barely heard Reanden furiously typing into the computer, as though reviewing every potential angle of his daughter's disappearance would tell him where the Jedi had gone- no, been taken. Xaja hadn't gone willingly. This was Valkorion's doing, it had to be. Some SIS-trained instinct screamed at him to move, start mobilizing his extensive talents (and what could would those skills be against a mystery of the Force like this?) to find her, but his muscles were clenched and unmoving and he was barely remembering to breathe. He'd felt this panic before, the day he'd been told the woman he loved had been murdered at the hands of the invading Wild Space forces, and he was every bit as helpless now as he was then to do anything about it. _She's gone, she's gone, she-_

Pain flared across the right side of his face. "Focus!" Theron blinked hard, snapped out of his daze by the slap dealt by a rough, calloused hand. Nico Okarr lowered the offending appendage and pushed Theron by his shoulders to a chair- over the old spacer's shoulder, Theron could just see Koth trying to restrain Korin from running after his younger brother, and Dr. Lokin vainly trying to convince Reanden to leave the footage alone. "Kid, listen to me," Nico said once he'd gotten Theron sitting. "I know what they train you spy-types to be like, and panicking ain't on that list. It's not gonna help her and you know it. Take a breath… good, now take another one…"

Theron forced his chest to de-contract enough for him to take a breath in. Frack, it hurt worse than the broken ribs he'd suffered while a Revanite prisoner on Rishi all those years ago, and this wasn't a pain he could dull with the use of his specialized implants. This pain was deep and cutting into his chest like a lightsaber, and he couldn't get away from it. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"Breathe, kid. The Commander's the toughest lady I've ever met, aside from your mom. She'll be okay." Nico glanced up as Senya moved into Theron's line of vision- through the haze, the spy could still recognize the older woman's face was as pale as her armour. "Tell me you got a theory, lady."

"I… I don't… I've never seen this before, not from him- not even from Vaylin." Senya appeared shaken, as though she was finally coming to the realization of the capabilities of her ex-lover, even in death- and the fact that Valkorion could apparently hold a grudge like nobody else (considering Xaja had struck him down *twice* so far, it was probably a reasonable grudge match both Force-users shared against each other). "To use the Force to… teleport somebody? Is that-"

"Rare," came Reanden's shaky-sounding voice from the computer. "It takes an incredible amount of strength in the Force to be able to do it. I don't know that Xaja's ever been strong enough to do that, but it's reported that Revan did it once- and if he could do it…"

 _Valkorion could do it easier._ The words hung unspoken, heavy and ominous. And if Valkorion had taken Xaja over and dragged her somewhere else (the Odessen wilds? Zakuul? Somewhere else in the galaxy? Considering the old Emperor's impressive Force-mastery, it wasn't unreasonable to take that into consideration.), away from the base where anyone else could intervene…

It took an almost-superhuman level of willpower for Theron to shove his horror down and stand back up, pushing Nico's hand off his shoulder. "Somebody let Sana-Re know what's happened," he bit out, his voice shaking despite his best efforts. "She might sense something that the rest of our Force-users miss." There was no denying that the Voss Mystic had her own impressive strength in the Force, and wasn't strictly aligned to the Dark Side or the Light. Maybe she could pick up on a tiny fluctuation in Odessen's balance that Sorand or Lana or Senya would miss. "What are Sorand and Lana doing?"

Dr. Lokin looked at the security feed over Reanden's shoulder and spoke up. "They're in the clearing where the Commander disappeared. I imagine Lord Duathion is trying to find her with the Force." Sorand had chosen the name 'Duathion' upon his arrival to Odessen to help further hide his former identity as Darth Imperius.

Theron nodded and started hurrying to the lift, just aware of Korin falling into step behind him. "We'll see if they've found anything. Call us back if you find anything on this end."

Reanden barely noticed their departure, so focused was he on the security screens, staring as though he could will his daughter back.

* * *

Both agents tore through the base, darting around the collections of soldiers, droids, and mercenaries congregating. Theron absently heard voices calling out to him and Korin, asking what was going on and why Lord Duathion and Lana had run through there not fifteen minutes earlier, looking as scared as a Sith could. He ignored them all, too focused on his destination and his worry to give heed to meaningless conversation as "Oh, by the way, the Alliance Commander was just presumably possessed by the ghost of Emperor Valkorion and teleported to Force-knows-where". Besides, saying something like *that* was likely to spawn panic and riots in the ranks, and there was enough of that in the command levels.

Theron and Korin ran into the lift leading to the back exit of the base, fidgeting impatiently as they were lowered to the forest floor. Theron usually could remain still for hours at a time, a skill taught to him during his early Jedi training, and still did meditate on occasion- not that he could sit still when there was a crisis like this involving the Alliance and the woman he loved in the middle of it. Korin, on the other hand, had never been the type to stay still for longer than about five minutes at a time, unless he was unconscious, and worry for his older sister sent him pacing anxiously in the confined area of the lift until dim sunlight finally reached them both. Normally, Theron could enjoy the scents of trees and earth, and frequently came out here for a moment alone to clear his mind…

Now the clearing a few metres away from the lift doors (and an impassive-looking Imperial security droid at the doors) was tainted by the knowledge that the love of Theron's life had been forcefully taken from here.

Sorand was kneeling in the middle of the clearing, roughly where Xaja had vanished, eyes closed and a tense expression on his young face. Lana was walking around the other Sith, yellow eyes narrowed and lips pursed in deep thought. Theron could recognize the crease on his one-time rival's forehead that indicated puzzlement and worry. "Anything?" he quietly asked, glancing back at Sorand as he did.

Lana shook her head at both Theron and Korin. "I can't sense anything. She was here, and so was Valkorion, and far stronger than I've ever sensed him around her before. He must have overpowered her."

"Considering how strong Vitiate is, it's likely," came Sorand's growl from the clearing. It spoke volumes to Theron that the former Dark Councillor was furious enough that he'd reverted to using the Emperor's former name. "And to hell if I can figure out where he's taken her to."

"Seriously?" Korin started pacing around the clearing again, staring into the trees and probably trying to find his sister himself with his own Force-abilities. Yet he'd never been strong enough to do more than have a vague sense of awareness of his siblings, a premonition of danger that rivaled Theron's own, and the odd spontaneous use of telekinesis. "Is there nothing you can sense at all? You're almost as strong as she is!"

"And he's stronger than both of us!" Sorand snapped at his brother. "I can tell she's alive, and I *think* she's still in the system. But I can't figure out more than that. If she's still on Odessen, and he's still with her, his Dark Side alignment is cancelling out her Light Side affiliation…"

"Which means you can't feel anything disrupting Odessen's balance," Theron finished, hands clenching into fists at his side as his heart plummeted to his stomach. Of all the Force-users in the base of any affiliation, Sorand had the closest bond to Xaja. If he couldn't find her…

The pale-faced Sith shook his head. "That's assuming she's on-world. I don't know of there's a range limit for a Force-power like what Vitiat- blast it, Valkorion used on her, but considering his strength, she could be anywhere. And I wouldn't put it past him to be cruelly ironic to her- he could have dragged her to, I don't know, Yavin or Ziost, Dromund Kaas… Zakuul…"

"Would he hand her over to Arcann and Vaylin like that, though?" Korin questioned, eyes narrowing.

"Depending how angry he is, he could just leave her in the swamp and let her struggle out there by herself." Sorand whirled and threw a burst of short-lived lightning at a nearby boulder, his face twisted in rage. "Dammit, why now?!"

Lana brought a hand up to her face, thinking hard. "If he was going to kill her, he would have done it before now. He's helped keep her alive for this long, we have to assume he still has a vested interest in not killing her."

"But how does kidnapping her help his endgame?" Theron muttered as he started pacing around, eyes darting about as he anxiously sought any clues that could lead him with a trail to Xaja, or at least uncover her fate. _I can't let her disappear on me again. I promised her I wouldn't!_

"Your guess is as good as mine." Lana scowled. "She's clever though, and not unskilled as a combatant, and her will is as strong as his. If anyone can escape from him and get back to safety, it's her. Until then, we'll need to track her from here to help her get home."

"Without spawning a mass panic," Korin added in a grumble. "You have any idea what the masses are gonna do if they find out details about her vanishing like this?"

Lana's face paled as she bit out a few colourful curses.

"It's a security breach triggered by… I don't know, wildlife," Sorand said, having finished alternatingly glaring at the innocent boulder and electrocuting it. "The Commander's gone to investigate… something Force-related, and everyone with questions can ask Senya." He raked a hand through his long dark hair and sighed heavily, worry replacing the anger in his eyes. "I don't know what else to do… I can't track her any further from here."

Tracking… Theron's eyes suddenly widened as he tapped rapidly on his wrist comm. "Yuun, get up here," he bit out as soon as the Gand connected to the channel. "Back exit to the base."

Lana nodded as soon as she understood Theron's order, a minute bit of hope showing in her eyes. "Good call. If anyone can find her, Yuun can."

* * *

Yuun was an incredibly good findsman, even by his own people's standards. It was why Havoc Squad had recruited him all those years ago (and the only reason he hadn't accompanied Forex on the new objective was because he'd been working on a new piece of tech in the research labs for Dr. Oggurobb). Yet for all of his skills, he was able to do no more than confirm the presences of both Xaja and Valkorion in the clearing, and agreed with Sorand's theory that the Jedi was probably still on Odessen. "The currents are strange, and the trails are hidden. This Gand is sorry he cannot do more to assist."

Theron felt the flicker of hope die in his chest at the alien's words. "Keep trying, Yuun. I don't care what you have to do to find her or where she's been taken."

"This Gand will try, Agent Shan. But promises cannot be made." Yuun shifted his electrostaff on his back and set back out to search the forests around the clearing for any hint of Xaja. "This comm channel will be left open."

Theron watched the Gand glide away into the trees, staring sightlessly until the alien had long disappeared. If Yuun, Sorand, and Sana-Re (who reported feeling a mild disturbance in the Force, but had been unable to pin down a location) couldn't find Xaja between the three of them…

He wasn't aware he'd fallen to his knees beside the creek that Xaja had been taken from, a hand clenching around a fistful of dirt. He was living the nightmare again, where Xaja had been ripped away from him and he was helpless to do anything to rescue her, and he wasn't sure if the faint hope that she wasn't dead this time made things better or worse. _What is he doing to you out there? Why can't I do a damn thing to protect you ever?_

And he'd still never managed to say the three words he wanted to her. They'd always stuck in his throat whenever he'd tried. He tried to show his love in his actions to her, and thought she understood, but now… _Please… come home. I need you. We need you. I can't take not knowing what's happening to you!_

A heavy hand rested on his shoulder. "Theron?" Koth's lower-pitched voice was hesitant and quiet. "It's getting dark, and you can't do anything for her out here." The hand gently pulled at Theron, trying to get him to stand up. "Come on inside. You need rest."

 _Dark…_ Theron glanced up as the last few rays of sunlight vanished behind the trees. Xaja's light words came back to him with a vengeance, as clear to his ears as if she'd been sitting beside him right now. _'Everything'll be fine. I'll be back by dusk at the latest.'_ Were those the last words he would ever hear her say to him? _It's dusk now and you're officially MIA. Where are you?_

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Theron let Koth pull him upright and back toward the shelter of the base.

* * *

Sleep didn't come that night to most people in the base. Theron in particular spent over two hours tossing and turning on the bed he was supposed to share with Xaja, having not known previously how much he'd grown dependent on having her curled up next to him to rest soundly. The bed wasn't terribly large, as far as beds went- it was only just large enough for the two of them to sleep or engage in decidedly-non-sleepy-activities without someone accidentally falling off. Tonight, it was entirely too large for one man, and so cold without her in his arms.

Theron finally groaned and sat up, flicking on the light as he leaned against the wall at the head of the bed. He'd only retired for the night because Lana and Senya combined had pretty much ordered him too- _you're not going to do her any good if you're half dead from sleep deprivation,_ Senya had told him, already in a scolding mood after Theron hadn't been able to eat anything for dinner. It wasn't his fault his stomach was threatening to throw everything back up that he contemplated forcing down!

Raking a hand over his face, the agent looked to the unoccupied other half of the bed where a Jedi was supposed to be sleeping. C2-N2 was entirely too diligent with cleaning the Commander's quarters, as there was barely any hint of her scent on the pillows or sheets, and that simple knowledge that the droid's attempts to make life more comfortable around the base had taken a tiny comfort away made Theron uncharacteristically frustrated.

Giving up on any sleep tonight, the spy slipped off the bed, getting dressed again before letting himself out of Xaja's quarters. At this hour, the base was a ghost town, the only awake beings consisting of security patrols. The two soldiers on guard in Hylo's centre of operations knew Theron by face, and saluted as he went past them. Thankfully, neither one asked him where Xaja was or why he was up at this unholy hour.

Theron trudged into the command centre, unsurprised to see lights on- that was a constant state of being for the open chamber. What did surprise him was the dark-clad man sitting at one of the desks, poring over notes and typing into a datapad. Reanden Taerich was only in his mid-fifties, and considering his dangerous profession, he'd aged very well despite the grey peppering his dark hair- yet when he looked up at the sound of Theron's footsteps, he looked old and worn, with a sadness Theron had never seen in his eyes before.

Both spies looked at each other for a long minute before Reanden tiredly gestured with his head to a table behind him. "Full pot of stimcaf, still hot."

Theron nodded his thanks as he walked to the table, retrieving a clean mug (one of C2's more useful tasks) and pouring himself a mug of the stimulant. He drank it black, sometimes with a sweetener added if he felt inclined. Xaja was addicted to this substance, had been since he'd first met her before the ill-fated attacks on Tython and Korriban, and was fairly picky with her supposed perfect amounts of whitener and sugar to add to the drink. One whitener, two and a half spoonfuls of sugar, both added before the caf so they mix in properly- and she'd been quite pleasantly surprised the day Theron had had the idea to add a hint of a nutty flavour to her drink. _Am I ever going to get the chance to make that for you again, or hear you grumble about how nobody in the military can make a decent cup of caf?_ Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the spy returned to the desk and sat in the next seat, sipping at the drink and letting the hot stimulant warm his cold insides. His stomach seemed to accept this new contribution without rebelling, which was more than he could say for the protein bar he'd tried to eat earlier.

Reanden didn't say anything as Theron sat beside him, merely shoved a datapad at him and took a drink from his own mug of stimcaf. Taking the device, Theron had to read over the words on the screen a few times over before they finally started making sense to him. Schematics of the Gemini frequency location, detailed lists of defenses… everything Havoc Squad would need to get through to achieve their objective. The mission still needed to go on, even if the commander was missing. Xaja wouldn't want the Alliance to stop all anti-Zakuul operations on account of her absence.

Besides, maybe this would help distract Theron for a little while from the fear he was barely keeping at bay.

Sharing one look of mutual understanding with Reanden, Theron started typing into the computer, refining Havoc's plan of attack (and absently wishing that, for once in her life, Kaliyo's predictability could extend beyond 'shooting everything in sight' and 'blowing things up'). Both men were still there four hours later when Sorand trudged back in, Yuun at his side. The Sith had remained out to meditate on his sister's whereabouts, and apparently had only given up for now when Yuun returned empty-handed.

"This Gand cannot find any trace of the Commander or the ghost of the Emperor," Yuun apologetically said, looking as sorrowful as one of his species could. "Apologies are made."

"She's still alive, as far as I can tell," Sorand added, wearily slumping into a chair and stealing his father's cup of stimcaf. It said something that Reanden didn't even bother glaring at his younger son. "I can't tell where, or if she's injured, but she hasn't joined the Force yet."

Theron nodded, disappointment settling in his chest, even though he knew the odds of either Sith or findsman finding Xaja were slim. Odessen's unique Force-balance made it an ideal world to hide the Alliance from Arcann… but the flip side of that was that it was very easy for a missing Jedi to stay missing. "Go get some sleep, both of you." Yuun especially looked like he needed it, and excused himself without so much as a grumble of protest.

"Observation," commented the rebuilt HK-55 as the droid paused in his nightly patrol of the war base, eyeing the three humans. "You are all suffering from sleep deprivation. This is going to reduce your efficiency in battle and calculations to retrieve the Commander."

"We know, HK," Reanden tiredly said, glancing over at the silent, despondent-looking astromech droid in the corner. T7-01 had been as depressed as Theron felt since Xaja's disappearance the day before. Absently, Theron checked his watch, and blinked a few times at the projected time before it made sense to his tired brain. She'd been missing for fourteen hours already. _Twenty-four hours is the standard window in which a kidnapping victim has the best chances of being found alive…_

"Query: Is this a human form of protest to achieve a desired result? Commentary: It's terribly inefficient and increases target weaknesses."

"We _know_ ," Reanden growled out. "If any of us could sleep like this, we would. Set your patrol pattern to the exterior of the base and send an alert to the three of us, and Captain Korin, if the Commander is sighted."

"Acquiescence: Very well, Agent Taerich." HK turned and walked off to the lift, then paused. "Statement: You may be interested to know that Captain Taerich has not slept either. Last appearances put him at his ship approximately two hours ago."

"Thank you, HK." Sorand wearily pushed himself back up as the droid continued his route of patrol. "I'll go see if he's passed out yet."

"And then you sleep too," Reanden directed, stealing back his (now empty) mug. "You don't get adequate rest when you're meditating."

"And you do with this?" Sorand gestured to the table.

"Imagine if this was your wife missing, or your daughter," Theron muttered. He knew Sorand had married a Mandalorian girl not long before his faked death, and the two had a son and a daughter. Shara was still on Mandalore, helping keep the Zakuulians at bay there, and keeping her children hidden. Their son at least was Force Sensitive, although their daughter had shown no signs yet.

Sorand sighed heavily and pressed a hand on Theron's shoulder as he walked by the agent's chair. "Yeah, I know. Just… try to get some rest. She comes back and finds you've landed in the medical wing from sleep deprivation…"

… Okay, that was a valid threat to get Theron to try to rest. Xaja's protectiveness over those she cared about made her a force to be reckoned with, and she'd already been displeased over Theron's habit of forgetting to eat when he was in the middle of planning an operation (not, of course, that she was any better, but that was beside the point). "I'll try to get a couple hours."

It was all he could promise and Sorand knew it. He nodded, looked over at his father as though to reinforce the message given to Theron, then trudged off toward the military wing. He returned almost half an hour later, half leaning on Korin with weariness, half supporting the equally-exhausted spacer himself (apparently ship maintenance wasn't quite as brain-numbing and sleep-inducing as Korin had hoped). But by that point, Theron and Reanden had both left the command centre, walking toward their respective quarters for a brief sleep.

Reanden had paused in front of the door to Xaja's quarters, seeming to not know what to say to Theron. "... She's like her mother, you know," the agent finally said. "Strong-willed, tenacious… fire in human form, almost. She's got my cleverness and her mother's stubbornness and ability with the Force. If anyone can be in that situation and get out alive… it's her." He weakly smiled and patted Theron's shoulder. "Get some rest, son. Sorand was right about how Xaja would be if we both wound up ill from this."

It was the first time- no, second time- anyone had ever called Theron 'son'. Jace had once, not long after Xaja's reported execution- of course, Satele had never said anything like that to her only child. But to hear that term coming from his lover's own father… Theron returned the older man's gesture, feeling for the first time that he'd finally been accepted as more than a colleague by the other spy, then let himself into the room. That too-empty bed still awaited him, without a Jedi having been mysteriously teleported there by some random fluke of the Force to ease his aching heart, and Theron still had to force back a suspicious burning behind his eyes as he shrugged his jacket off, removed his belt and boots, and laid back down, holding Xaja's pillow against him. If he strained his imagination, he could almost pick up Xaja's scent from the fabric.

True to his word to Sorand, Theron did manage to fall asleep for a couple of hours. But the nightmares he endured were of an intensity that he hadn't experienced for five years.

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 **(Fun fact: "Duathion" roughly means "son of shadow" in Sindarin Elvish. And you thought I could write a Star Wars fanfic without one nod to Lord of the Rings...)**


	6. Chapter 5-2

**You people are lovely, and so you may have Part Two now!**

 **Also, if Xaja doesn't find a way to crawl out of my computer and kill me dead first, Theron might... (I regret nothing. Nothing, you hear me?!)**

 **Still poor, still fangirling, still don't own Star Wars. Or Theron. Which is a pity...**

* * *

Major Jorgan had been suitably worried when it was confirmed to him over a secure holo-call that the Commander had vanished without a trace, and Theron was reminded that the Cathar had already endured something similar before with Major Kota. That man had eventually been found alive, but with a terrible case of amnesia that rendered him unfit for duty. And by then, Jorgan had already taken the reigns of Havoc leadership. He agreed that the operation still needed to go ahead while the intel the Alliance had was still relevant, and had his squad mobilized and ready to go.

"Who's going to take her place if she hasn't been found by the time Havoc reaches the frequency emitter?" Koth had muttered under his breath as the Cathar soldier disappeared from the holo table. Apparently his entire hope was placed on Xaja's shoulders, and nobody else would be an adequate substitute for the missing Jedi.

Naturally, Korin and Sorand had exchanged only the briefest of glances before Korin had answered, "We will. Together we're every bit as good as she is alone."

Koth didn't seem entirely convinced, Reanden seemed to be trying to hide his concern at that statement from his son, and Theron felt too sick at the thought of Xaja never coming back and needing to be replaced as the Alliance head by one or both of her brothers to voice an opinion either way.

Kaliyo, naturally, seemed nonchalant about the entire business. "She's a Jedi, ain't she? If she's as good as what I saw on Zakuul, and half as good as what the ex-Cipher over there brags about, she'll be fine."

Theron had glanced over to Reanden at that, and the older agent had shrugged. "Parental prerogative. In this place, I can brag about all my offspring." His voice was falsely light-hearted and easy-going- Theron could see the stoop in his shoulders, and the impressive bags under his hazel eyes. He likely hadn't slept at all after leaving the command centre the night before.

Not, of course, that Theron could judge. He didn't need to look in a mirror to know he looked terrible- Dr. Drellik had taken one look at him and cringed, and Nico had wordlessly handed him a flask of… something that Theron decided he was better off not knowing the detailed contents thereof, but did appreciate the gesture. He was bone-weary, but the images that flashed through his mind when he closed his eyes were worth the sleep deprivation to avoid. Images of Xaja's body, lying motionless and bloody… Arcann making a victory proclamation of her death… the Jedi falling into a ravine or being mauled to death by Odessen's still-mostly-unknown wildlife… Vaylin finding the base and nobody here being able to withstand her without Xaja leading them, not even Sorand… It had been a vision of Xaja in Vaylin's robes with that cruel grin and the yellow lightsaber, striking down at Theron's own chest, that had jolted the spy back into the world of the waking after less than two hours of sleep, choking back bile and feeling a scream building in his throat. It had taken him longer than he cared to confess to slow his breathing down and not throw up, and by that point there was no way in hell he was going back to sleep anyway.

Kaliyo's blue holo-form winked out of sight, and the command centre grew quiet, aside from the sounds of typing and quiet murmuring. It was enough to make Theron start drooping in his seat from fatigue, and if he didn't get up and start moving, he was going to pass out in the command room, and nobody needed to witness that or the nightmares. His body thrummed with nervous energy despite his exhaustion and the need to get out there and find Xaja, whatever it took, hampered only by the logic that said there was nothing he could do with no connection to the Force and him being unable to raise Xaja on a comm channel, no matter what he did to boost or modify the signal. Pushing himself out of his chair, he started pacing the length of the deck, glancing up whenever the lift moved, and continuing his tread when the lift's occupants were neither Xaja nor those with news of her fate and well-being. Thirty paces one way, turn, thirty paces back. Thirty paces one way, turn, thirty paces back. Thirty paces-

Oh, that was how long it took for Lana to start throwing him a glare for distracting her. Good information to know. Theron didn't really care about the Sith's opinion on things, and continued pacing, trying to get his mind off his worry. _The Gemini frequency is a solid kilometre below the Spire. Pity Havoc needs to blow it up, because I'd love to see that transmitter. I wonder if she- no, not thinking about her. Where was I? Right, how many levels will Havoc need to get through to reach the transmitter? If that transmitter could be that useful to the Throne so far underground, it could be modified to pick up Xaja's signal, right?- blast it!_

"Theron, sit. I'm not above strapping you to a chair so the rest of us can focus," Lana finally snapped.

Normally, Theron would have made a quip about how there was only one pretty woman who was allowed to tie him down to anything and it most certainly wasn't Lana Beniko. Considering the circumstances, though, he only paused in his pacing enough to give the Sith his own masterful glare, a skill he'd learned by osmosis courtesy of Revan- an individual people seemed to keep forgetting he was a direct descendant of. "Go ahead and try it," he growled out.

Lana hadn't been expecting that reply, as her amber eyes widened before narrowing threateningly. She half stood up-

"Get along, both of you," Sorand snapped at both of them, and for a second Theron saw the threatening demeanour that Darth Imperius had demonstrated when he'd felt it prudent. "Theron, if you're going to pace, make it useful and do a status check on the wings. Lana, leave him alone." With that, he turned his attention back to the datapad he was reading and scribbling notes on a sheet of flimsi beside him. Another stack of files to his other side looked like some of the collection that Sana-Re and Xaja had joined efforts to collect- Theron had a suspicion the ex-Sith was madly searching for either information on Force-teleportation or how to find a missing Force-user.

He thought about making a final biting comment at Lana, caught Sorand's warning glare over the datapad (damn Sith for being as attuned to everything as a Jedi), and obediently left the command centre to walk through the entire subterranean levels of the base, checking in on the Alliance leaders and their forces. Sana-Re had not yet uncovered any hints in the Force as to Xaja's fate, despite the best efforts of herself and the strongest Force-users she trusted to maintain discretion on the matter. Dr. Oggurobb assured Theron that while he didn't have anything *yet*, he was working on a new piece of technology that surely would enable him to track movements of sentient beings outside of the base (and when Yuun had recovered from his nocturnal search for Xaja, would Theron mind sending him back to the labs to assist?). Hylo and Admiral Aygo had joined forces, Hylo's best pilots doing low flybys over Odessen's forests, seeking any sign of Xaja- a distress signal, a fire, signs of a catastrophic Force-based fight… Meanwhile, Admiral Aygo had increased patrols around the exterior of the base, and sent a couple more teams of discrete soldiers to search further around the area that Xaja had last been seen. He couldn't help out too much more though, as he was providing support to Major Jorgan's team. Nothing, of course, had been found yet.

 _None of this is enough. We need to be doing more!_ Theron scowled as he walked back from Hylo's base of operations, muttering an apology as he nearly tripped over Blizz (who apparently was helping with Dr. Oggurobb's device construction, and accepted Theron's apology with only a mildly-indignant chattering in Jawaese). _Should I be joining one of the search teams? But I'm needed for the Gemini operation too, and I can't exactly pass that off to Reanden or Korin given the circumstances. Dammit, Xaja, we need you back here, and not just because we're falling apart without you here._ She was the rallying point of the Alliance and the only hope that the rest of the galaxy had of being free from Zakuul's oppression- not even Darth Imperius, Cipher Nine, or Rogun's Bane could match the Hero of Tython's deeds. She was the glue that held the Alliance leaders together, was the only reason some of the Imperial and Republic forces were getting along… and more than that, Theron, for all that he'd been trained to roll with the punches and take a beating, and not foster attachments to the people around him, was falling apart on the inside with her missing and he knew it.

 _What would you do if she was killed on a battlefield?_ a little voice in his head asked. _She's the Alliance Commander, and the most wanted person in known space where Zakuul's authority is accepted. And she's strong, but she's not invincible. Arcann's already proof enough of that. Even if she does make it home this time, she might not be so lucky again. If you find her body and know there's no miracle that will bring her home again…_ Theron cringed. His mother had once told him that she'd hidden Theron as a baby from Jace, fearing what his father's reactions would be if any harm ever came to their son. Jace had already indicated that he would enact cold, bloody revenge if harm came to Satele while they'd been together, and she didn't want to take that risk with Theron being the cause of the older man's wrath. Apparently that instinct to avenge loved ones was hereditary; Theron knew deep inside that if Xaja wound up dead as a result of Valkorion or his spawn, he would either lose his mind to grief or make all of Zakuul burn for his loss, and to hell with the little detail that he was just one (highly-skilled) Force-blind spy in a vast galaxy. He'd been well on that route once before Lana had found him and told him her news, and his backup plan had been to drink himself into a coma that he wouldn't awaken from.

 _How long will you wait this time before you give up hope?_ That thought made him pause for a moment. Given the vastness of Valkorion's reach, Xaja could be anywhere in the galaxy, and Sorand and Korin's senses were the only indication that the Jedi was still alive. _As long as one of them says their bonds to her haven't broken, there's hope that she'll come back. Xaja would never abandon me- or us. However long it takes for her to come home… I'll be waiting for her. Even if it's the rest of my life._

But would Darth Imperius be able to sense the death of Master Taerich? Theron wasn't entirely sure as to the nature of Force-bonds, but he was relatively sure that most people bound in such a way knew exactly when a bond was broken by death, no matter the distance between them. And considering this instance was two powerful Force-users who shared a bond of blood, as well as a bond of affection… Korin might not be the final source of information on Xaja's status, but Sorand would be. _So you'd better hope Valkorion doesn't go after him next._

That thought made him hurry his footsteps back to the command centre. Of course, Sorand wasn't in any apparent danger from the Emperor's ghost come back to exact vengeance on a traitorous member of the Dark Council, still in the same position he'd been in earlier, and still looking frustrated by his apparent lack of progress. Noting that there seemed to be nothing significant happening beyond researching clues as to Xaja's fate and prepping for Havoc Squad's mission (and tracking Kaliyo's progress in raising hell to divert attention), Theron reclaimed his abandoned chair and tried reading through his notes on the Gemini frequency again.

Fifteen minutes later, having stared blankly at the same sentence for most of that time without the words making sense, Theron gave up and started pacing again. He got to twenty-three steps on his first pass when Lana raised her head, scowl already in place, and opened her mouth-

"You, exterior patrol check before you wear a hole in the floor. You, ask Nico if he's found any sort of relic in his travels that might help us."

Theron and Lana both seemed to consider protesting until they saw the ominous-looking yellow glow to Darth Imperius's eyes. And then they both hurried off in their respective directions, deciding discretion and intelligence were the better parts of valour.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. And when Theron collapsed into bed alone that evening for the second night in a row, he was no less anxious and frustrated than he had been the night before.

This time, he only lingered on the cold mattress for an hour and a half before dragging himself back up and to the control centre. This time, it was Korin sitting at a desk, some sugar-loaded half-frozen stimulant drink in his hand from the cantina upstairs (and he wordlessly handed Theron one from a box by his feet. Apparently he'd either pulled some strings or simply raided the cantina, and Theron didn't really care which one.). This time, Sorand didn't return from his questing meditations until three in the morning, this time having brought Lana out with him to assist- but by that time, Korin had walked out to the military hangar in hopes that the cool breeze would wake him up, and Theron had finally passed out over a datapad, words still blinking on the screen by his unshaven cheek. ' _... Force are well-known to us. The trait known as Force Step enables the user to move from one location to another with such speed that they appear to take only a single step. Force Phase is a highly advanced skill that enables the user to move through walls, doors, or other solid surfaces. However, these are not the limits of the Force's abilities: for instance, it was recorded at the Battle of the Maelstrom Prison that Revan himself used the Force to teleport…_ '

* * *

The third day continued in much the same fashion as the first two had- except this time, there was sufficient distraction to take Theron's mind off Xaja's situation with Havoc Squad moving in on their target. Kaliyo's distractions had worked well, and while Jorgan was encountering some resistance, it was far from what it would have been otherwise.

Of course, Jorgan's method of dealing with any enemy units (droid or sentient) was "shoot until they don't move anymore", and apparently there are only so many places one can hide the destroyed chasses of Skytroopers.

Kaliyo was also open on the line, giving a gleeful accounting of her destructive mayhem caused in the Spire, and neither Senya nor Koth approved. "That anarchist should not be a part of this operation! She's already caused too much harm to my people!" Senya shouted, still not happy with Xaja's standing decision to use Firebrand's considerable skills in the operation (which, in her absence, nobody cared to countermand that order).

"Easy, Senya," Koth spoke up, eyes narrowing in thought. "Maybe the Knights will do us a favour and kill her for us."

Theron lifted his head to give both Zakuulians a glare through bleary, heavy eyes that felt like sandpaper. Two nights of little to no sleep and the long-lasting anxiety that had settled over him like a permanent cloud were taking their toll, and trying to keep track of the schematics and security layouts to help Havoc Squad was already difficult enough without the arguments going on over his head.

"As I recall," Reanden retorted before Theron could open his mouth and say something he'd regret later, "the Commander gave Kaliyo a task and she's performing it as requested. Or are you looking to overrule Master Taerich's decision?"

"She's violent and uncontrollable and cares nothing for civilians!" Koth growled.

"She also has her orders to not harm civilians. You forget I've known Kaliyo far longer than you have, Vortena. She'll stay to the limits set."

"Oh really? And who's going to keep her to those limits? The Outlander's gone and she barely listens to you!"

Theron very nearly went for a blaster then (and he could sense Reanden had the same idea) before a voice he'd thought he'd never hear again spoke, with all the sternness of a cracking whip. "That is quite enough. Take your arguments elsewhere; Havoc needs radio silence for the operation."

Over half a dozen people stopped what they were doing and whirled at the unexpected commanding voice. Theron's heart skipped a beat and the first easy breath in three days came as Xaja Taerich limped into the command centre- battered, exhausted, and looking like she could use a shower and possible medical attention, but clearly alive.

* * *

Naturally, as soon as one problem was resolved with Xaja limping her own way into the command centre (with such a tale of being kidnapped and beaten by Valkorion and being found by Satele Shan and the ghost of Darth Marr that Theron would have, in any other situation, thought she was making the tale up- especially the bit about his mother being on Odessen and working with Marr's spirit. But Korin was the one in their family known for extravagant tall tales, whereas Xaja generally strove for honesty. "It's such a terrible lie, it must be true," Lana had concluded, and Theron agreed.), more arose. While everyone had been trying to figure out the implications of Valkorion leaving Xaja of his own free will, Havoc Squad had gone ominously silent immediately after Jorgan had alerted the command team to Knights of Zakuul at his location.

Thankfully, Kaliyo had apparently violated orders and was already en route to raise hell herself in parallel to Havoc's route. Xaja had given the go-ahead for Kaliyo to continue with her set course, ignoring the scowls from Koth and Senya, and had continued studiously frowning into space once the alien woman went silent while she shot everything she could find. _Only she could return back from an abduction and go immediately back into a leadership role,_ Theron mused as he continued trying to raise Jorgan's comm signal, watching her out of the corner of his eye as though he feared she would disappear again on him.

Of course, with Theron, Korin, Sorand, and Reanden all positioning themselves near enough to the Jedi that she normally would have been complaining about crowding if she hadn't been so evidently relieved to see them all again, it was unlikely that she could be taken again, even by Valkorion. It never hurt to be paranoid, though.

Eventually, Lana took over the attempts at contacting Havoc Squad from Theron, letting the fatigued spy focus entirely on Xaja. He moved to rest a hand on her lower back, and froze when she winced minutely at the contact. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" he quietly asked, urgency colouring his words despite his attempts to stay calm. She didn't need him panicking, but if she'd been hurt out there-

Xaja forced herself to smile weakly at Theron and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Not badly. Bruises and scrapes, far as I can tell…"

Theron glanced down at Xaja's hands and lifted one of them for inspection. If the cuts and scrapes on that small area of fair skin were indicative of what the rest of her body was like… "C'mon," he softly said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders (lighter than usual, despite his fierce desire to hold her as tightly as he could and never let her out of his sight again). "Do you need Sana-Re or your brother to Force-heal you?"

The Jedi shook her head. "It's not that bad. I've had a lot worse than this. All I need is a shower..."

"And painkillers. You're wincing every time you move and you're limping off your right leg." Theron gently tugged her into his side, letting her rest her weight against him. "I've got my spare kolto packs in our quarters, and then you can rest."

It said something that Xaja didn't try to talk him out of it, insisting that other people could use that kolto more than she needed it. With a nod to Xaja's father and brothers, and earning an acknowledging gesture in response from all three, Theron led her down the hall to her quarters, shutting the door securely behind them and directing her to the bed. "Okay, in detail, where are you hurting?"

Xaja seemed to hesitate for a moment as she gingerly removed her torn and filthy gauntlets and stained boots (and her one knee was swollen through the fabric of her trousers, as Theron could see now), then seemed to give in, undid her belt, turned around and let her tunic fall off her shoulders, leaving herself only clad in torn trousers and a bra. Despite himself, Theron cringed at the awful masses of bruises decorating her fair back, marring the star-like tattoo on her left shoulder and some of her older combat scars. "Dammit, Xaja- what the hell happened to you?!" the spy demanded as he lightly touched a particularly dark spot under her tattoo, then dived for the kolto packs he kept in the storage locker.

"Told Valkorion where he could take his ideas and what he could do with them, a rusty hydrospanner, and an angry mynock on the way. He didn't like that and threw me against a cliff," Xaja answered, seemingly trying to laugh off the pain, although Theron still saw the wince when he turned around. She sat wearily on the edge of the bed, body hunching as though it would relieve the pain. "Actually… I think he did that twice…"

"Lie down." Theron gently pushed at Xaja's shoulders as he returned to the bed, waiting until the Jedi was face-first against the mattress before he started slowly rubbing kolto into her wounds, pausing only to deftly undo the back of her bra and push her long red hair out of the way. "You should have asked Sorand to heal this. Any internal injuries you suspect? Did he break anything?" One hand left her back to run down her ribcage (as far around her as he could reach with the bed in the way), feeling for anything cracked or out of place.

"Not as far as I can tell, surprisingly." Xaja hissed as Theron's fingers found a sensitive spot on her lower back; the spy gently spread more gel-like kolto over the wound, and the Jedi's tense muscles soon eased. "And Sorand looked exhausted- almost as bad as you." She propped herself up on her elbows and turned to look at Theron, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Theron… did you rest at all over the last few days?"

Theron paused in his ministrations, staring at the kolto in his lap as though the medical substance would answer Xaja's questions. "... No," he finally admitted.

"Theron-"

The agent wearily smirked as he lightly brushed two fingers against Xaja's lips, shushing her. "You know, I used to think there was nothing that could faze me anymore. After the Revanites, Ziost… Zakuul's invasion… I thought I could handle anything. Then you vanished without a trace and…" The emotion that had been building since her disappearance and subsequent return started to overwhelm him, and he fell to his knees beside the bed, hazel eyes searching her grey-green eyes desperately and all attempts at calmness gone. "I couldn't stop pacing. I didn't know where you were or what was happening to you… I couldn't take it. I was falling apart and I don't think I cared who saw it…"

Xaja moved then, and although it couldn't have been comfortable for her, she lunged forward enough to wrap her arms tightly around Theron's neck. The spy buried his face in her tangled hair as he listened to her speak into his ear, for once not really caring that the person hanging onto him for dear life was a beautiful, half-naked Jedi woman. "Theron… I don't know how Valkorion moved me away from where I was or where exactly I landed. I tried calling you as soon as I woke up and realized what had happened, and I don't think I started feeling afraid until I realized I couldn't reach you, or anyone else." She hesitated, and Theron felt her shoulders tremble under his touch. "I… when he was throwing me around during our fight before he left me… I thought he was going to actually kill me out there without anyone to witness it. You know what Jedi believe about death and the Force, and I wasn't afraid for myself… but I got scared when I thought that if I died out there… you would never know what happened to me, and you'd spend too long waiting for me to never come back-"

Theron pulled his face out of Xaja's hair to silence her with the kiss that had been waiting for three days for her to return. "You're the Alliance Commander," he finally breathed out when they pulled apart for air. "You've got a rough fight ahead of you, and… while I'd gladly follow you to Zakuul itself, someday you might vanish again for somewhere I can't follow. Wh- if that day comes-" There was no way he could let himself consider the likelihood of that happening, not after he'd only just gotten her safely back, but he knew the words he spoke were true. "I don't care how long it takes… I'll be here waiting for you." He moved one of his hands to rest over her heart, beating reassuringly under his fingers. "Always." A deep breath, and he spoke the words he'd never been able to get out before, in a low whisper. "I love you, Xaja Taerich."

Jedi weren't supposed to love, or to admit to even having emotions- Theron knew this, being raised as one himself. But that didn't stop Xaja's eyes from tearing up, or the redhaired woman's tightening of her embrace around his shoulders. "I love you, Theron Shan," she murmured back to him, her words erasing a tight knot in Theron's chest that he hadn't even known had been there. "And no matter what happens… I'll always find a way to come back to you. I promise."

Theron smiled at her, trying to keep the hard lump in his throat at bay as he ran his thumb along her cheekbone. "I know," he whispered, blinking away the moisture in his eyes and gently wiping away a tear that had escaped Xaja's eye. If there was anyone who could fulfil that promise, even with the current state of the galaxy, it was the woman he was holding right now. Tilting his head slightly, he pressed another deep and lingering kiss to her lips, savouring the feeling of her molding perfectly against him as she returned the kiss, then grinned when they pulled apart again. "You know, I love you to bits, but you still need a shower…" It was still a strange phrase for him to say, but he liked it when she was the one those words were directed to.

Xaja's eyes lit up as she smirked. "And considering I'm still hurt and will probably need assistance…"

"Plus, y'know… might have missed an injury somewhere. I'll need to check everywhere, to be certain..." Theron's voice dropped to a husky whisper as he pulled back enough to slide one arm under Xaja's knees and carry her into the adjoining refresher, treasuring every moment that she stayed in his arms or pressed against his body.

And when they were finally cuddling in her bed some time later, Xaja's still-damp hair draped over her pillow and her face pressed against the bare skin of Theron's chest over his heart, the spy stayed awake a few minutes after she'd fallen asleep to stare at her, committing every detail of her being to his memory. _No matter what it takes, I'll keep you as safe as I can, I promise. And if that means kidnapping you to the Core Worlds and, I don't know, marrying you, then so be it. You mean more to me than you'll ever know..._

* * *

 **And there's your fluffy happy ending for this newest chapter!**

 **Next: Xaja apparently (according to the KOTFE preview) delves into the world of crime after her previous stunt as a Rishi pirate. No idea if Theron approves of this or not. Stay tuned!**


End file.
